


Fólkvangr

by tinyclover



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Polyamory, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Vampires, bodyguards, but it's not that bad, i think, like very slow, probably not, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:42:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 40,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24903268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyclover/pseuds/tinyclover
Summary: Protection is all that Yoohyeon signed up for, but the universe has a funny way of handling its contracts.ORWhen Yoohyeon gets hired as a bodyguard to a famous solo artist, the last thing she expects is to be the one in need of protection or for her employer to be a vampire.
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Kim Bora | SuA, Han Dong | Handong/Kim Bora | SuA/Kim Minji | JiU, Kim Yoohyeon/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 60
Kudos: 255
Collections: DreamCatcher Vampire Ficfest 2k20





	1. Prologue: Penumbra

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is my very first fic, so forgive me if I look like I have no idea what I am doing (I don’t, haha). I spontaneously decided to do this after getting bodyguard vibes from a few Deukae pictures and having the fantastic excuse of the Vampire FicFest to convince myself to actually commit to it. Thank you @radicalmomocist for allowing me to participate. Hope you enjoy!

Idly biting her thumb nail, Yoohyeon puzzled over the Chinese characters scribbled in her notebook. It was a wonder how she could maintain her focus on deciphering the still foreign language while brimming with excitement. Well, actually, she couldn’t. She had been waiting for her loud but favorite counterpart to crash into the room after eagerly requesting her presence. It was just after 7 and the smaller woman should be showing up any moment now.

Her eyebrows furrowed in an attempt at concentration as she picked up her pencil to add some notes into her notebook. Usually, Yoohyeon would find herself lost in her studies. There was just something about learning the intricacies of a language that drew the woman in. The idea of being able to communicate with a larger group of people beyond her own culture appealed to her. Right now, however, she instead found herself distracted by a vastly different topic of interest: vampires.

Vampires actually existing was not unheard of in this day and age, but they were very discriminated against and some would just “mysteriously disappear.” Many people liked to pretend that their existence was only in myths and that anyone who claimed to be one was only doing it for clout. Other people felt threatened by them and called for the lynching and killing of all things vampire. Although some countries have made this discriminatory killing illegal and made great strides in trying to support the lifestyle differences of vampires, most countries didn’t seem to care and still legalized vampire-hunts and the killing of vampires.

There are many different kinds of vampires, and there are more people who are vampires than statistics would ever have people believe. Some vampires only need 8 ounces of live-drawn blood that doesn’t even have to be human blood per month and they can live an otherwise normal human life, while some others might need 16 ounces of human blood a day, are no longer able to eat a normal human diet, and feel absolutely drained in direct sunlight. Some apparently have unique abilities or traits that are specific only to their type of vampirism.

Yoohyeon wished she knew more about this. No one ever seemed to talk about the many variations of vampirism and instead stereotyped every vampire into whatever depiction the book Dracula painted of them. Yoohyeon pursed her lips in disapproval at the notion. Dracula wasn’t even written by a vampire, yet so many people ended up villainizing vampires because they thought all vampires were cruel, bloodthirsty monsters who only cared about manipulating and hurting people in their own desire for blood.

Yoohyeon scoffed softly to herself about how discriminatory that idea was. Just because they need to drink blood and adapt to a new way of living, that doesn’t mean that they no longer had feelings or morals. There are plenty of other conditions aside from vampirism that makes it necessary for many people to live their lives differently from the status-quo. Why were vampires treated any different? Vampires are, at the end of the day, human too.

She tapped her pencil against the table thoughtfully. Learning about vampires appealed to her the same way learning about languages did. It’s all about opening one’s mind to understanding other people that may experience the world differently than them. Isn’t that what communication is all about too?

Her mind wandered to the force of nature that she called her best friend. Although her friend always seemed to have high tension and vocal cords that don’t know the meaning of an indoor voice, Bora was someone she knew she could always count on to have her back. Despite their constant banter, they are each other’s biggest fans.

Ever since meeting the energetic woman during her first year of training to become a bodyguard at Minx Protection Services, Yoohyeon’s entire world as she knew it changed. The two of them got along quickly after Yoohyeon’s overachieving nature got the better of her, and she began pestering the surprisingly shy woman for tips on how to improve her technique. It was only a matter of time before Yoohyeon learned that her newfound friend was a vampire.

After watching her friend angrily punch a giant dent into a solid, thick steel wall after they left a bar where they had been inappropriately hit on by drunken men and then wrongfully blamed for standing up for themselves, Yoohyeon understandably had many questions. She never would have guessed it by the way Bora presented herself. She never knew, at the time, that no one person experiences vampirism the same way. She had only thought that all vampires were cold to the touch and unable to eat a normal human diet, yet Bora was as warm as a hearth’s fire and ate just as heartily as anyone else she knew.

Her insatiable curiosity consequently led her to, basically, coerce Bora into explaining herself and telling her more about vampirism. Yoohyeon chuckled at the memory. Here was Yoohyeon, with her stick-like figure, cornering a super strong vampire that probably could have snapped her in half like a twig, provoking her for details. She ponders how she, in her right mind, calmly watched her best friend destroy a steel wall and still managed to have the guts to approach her and question her as if Bora had only passingly mentioned the name of her mother.

Like many times before, she found herself entertaining the thought of how-

A harsh pounding against wood jolted Yoohyeon out of her memories. Before she had time to be disappointed about her interrupted attempt at reliving a, to her, very important episode of her life, the door to the large defense training room swung open. There in the doorway stood the one and only Kim Bora holding two bags of, presumably, food with a large grin on her face.

“I have been summoned,” the older woman proudly announced as she entered the room. She kicked the door closed behind her and it slammed shut with a resounding thud. Yoohyeon couldn’t help the smile that crossed her features.

_Of course she’d have a dramatic entrance._

Yoohyeon set down her pencil and closed her notebook before turning in her seat to properly acknowledge her best friend’s presence.

“How was work?” Yoohyeon asked, getting up to help Bora with the bags. There was a pause before Bora answered, so the two silently busied themselves with unloading the contents of the bags onto the table Yoohyeon had been studying on. Food, like Yoohyeon had guessed. Her stomach growled in anticipation.

“Nothing exciting,” Bora started when Yoohyeon quizzically looked up at her due to the delay in her response, “Minji-yah only had to run some errands for the company, so it wasn’t like it was a big event with fans trying to get too close.” Yoohyeon hummed her acknowledgment, already turning the bulk of her attention towards fishing out a can of soda from the bag. She already sensed the complaints incoming and decided to go ahead and sit down with her share of food before the rundown of Bora’s “not so exciting” workday began. Amusedly, she watched her friend struggle to open a particularly stubborn container amidst her frustration.

 _Poor Styrofoam container, you have done nothing wrong to have incurred the wrath of Kim Bora_ , she mused sympathetically.

“Ugh, I don’t get it. Like, why does she always call me even though she’s just going to collect paperwork or go to the store? It’s not like she has thousands of fans wanting to cross the line and force her to be their ideal girlfriend like her artists do. I mean, she’s hot, don’t get me wrong, and nice, but don’t you think it’s a bit much to request a bodyguard when you just want to go get some choco pies?”

Yoohyeon laughed, imagining a very disgruntled Bora being dragged along to escort her apparently hot employer to get choco pies. Cute.

“Well,” she offered after swallowing her warm noodles, “there’s always the chance that some idiot might try jumping her, right? She _is_ a CEO. People might get the idea that she’s super rich and carrying around a mansion’s worth of money in her pockets twenty-four seven.”

“Come on, who’d be stupid enough to do that? Seriously.”

“You’d probably be surprised, Unnie.”

“Oh wait, you’re right, sorry. I forgot that you existed for a second there.”

“Hey! I would _not_ do that!”

“But you _are_ dumb enough to, though!” Bora stuck her tongue out. “You big dummy!”

Yoohyeon exclaimed loudly in indignation and threw one of her extra napkins at her friend; that is, the very friend in which she is currently considering disowning and putting up for sale. Unfortunately, gravity, as always, decided not to be in her favor and the napkin gracefully fluttered right down into her noodles. The moistness of her food quickly soaked through the thin material. Admittedly, she probably should’ve seen this coming.

Bora snickered.

Yes. They are mature.

“Shut up,” Yoohyeon muttered defeatedly.

With her pride wounded, Yoohyeon gingerly picked the ruined napkin out of her food bowl and awkwardly set it aside.

 _And on today’s episode of clumsy Yoohyeon_ , she thought to herself, _we see her accidentally ruin a perfectly good napkin for no reason other than the universe hating her_.

She pouted in an exaggerated display of grief for the object. Having mercy on her dejected puppy of a friend, Bora decided that this was enough teasing for now. She instead, decided to finally broach the reasoning for her summoning.

“So, what had you sending me twenty texts telling me to meet you here after I got done with work with a bunch of exclamations marks? Please don’t tell me it was just because you figured out how to say another phrase in Chinese,” Bora asked apprehensively, glancing over at the familiar notebook resting on the far end of the table.

Yoohyeon’s eyes immediately lit back up. Right, she had great news to share! Her excitement from before rushed back into her and she suddenly felt extremely restless. She set down her chopsticks and smacked her hand against table repeatedly in her adrenaline rush. “Right! Yes! I had something to tell you,” Yoohyeon remarked animatedly. She watched Bora’s lips curl into a small but amused smile before continuing. “I finally got assigned to be someone’s bodyguard!”

Bora gasped, nearly choking on her food. She quickly swallowed before joining Yoohyeon in her excitement.

“No way!” The petite woman coughed out before suddenly leaning over the table to take Yoohyeon by the shoulders, and she shook her excitedly. “It’s about time! You have been waiting for too long! Finally! Anyone who realizes that my little Yoohyeon is the most qualified bodyguard out there are the only employers who deserve to have you!”

Yoohyeon desperately tried to pry the ecstatically shouting Bora’s hands off of her. As much as she appreciated Bora’s enthusiasm, she appreciated her ability to be in equilibrium with her body more.

“Wah! Unnie! I won’t be able to do it if you keep shaking my brains out!”

“Oh, sorry,” Bora hastily relented and let go of the now dizzy brunette before sitting back down in her seat. “I’m just so proud of you. Who are you assigned to?”

Yoohyeon grins widely, ready to surprise her friend. “They’re in the same company as the CEO you work for.”

Bora’s eyes widened. “Oh?” She vocalized as she leaned forward curiously, their food long forgotten about.

 _That’s an odd reaction,_ Yoohyeon thought passingly.

She concluded that Bora’s intrigue was probably just a sign of her surprise. She continued.

“Yep, that’s right! She’s from the Insomnia Entertainment Company! Which means we might be able to see each other more often. She’s a soloist, and she’s gotten much more popular recently. You’ve probably heard of her.”

“...who is it?”

Yoohyeon did not miss the hesitation nor the anxious shift in Bora’s tone.

“Lee Siyeon.”


	2. Chapter 1: Sunrise

**Tiny Squawker** 6:16am [9pm stay inside]

[Idk when I’ll be done. Full schedule today] **Timberrrr** 6:16am

**Tiny Squawker** 6:16am [just be careful ok?]

[I’ll be fine] **Timberrrr** 6:16am

**Tiny Squawker** 6:17am [tell me youll be careful!]

Yoohyeon sighed when her phone buzzed an extra three hundred times after she had set it down to tie the laces of her boots. Okay, it wasn’t exactly three hundred times, maybe it was around six hundred. Bora would always send Yoohyeon texts like this to warn her of the certain times of day that she should exercise extra caution. These times usually meant that some group of troublemaking vampires would be doing illegal feeding runs and assaulting people. Yoohyeon understood Bora’s concern and definitely appreciated it, but sometimes it felt like she got a little too overprotective. Yoohyeon had never encountered a feeding run, but from Bora’s descriptions of them, she hoped she’d never have to. So, it’s not like she wasn’t already being careful.

The brunette retrieved her phone from the side table, ceasing the incessant vibration against linoleum. She opened it to a bunch of exclamation marks and many messages in all-caps shouting her name. Yoohyeon briefly considered not responding, but she knew that if she left Bora on read then there’d be more than just some punctuation marks and her name on a screen to deal with.

[omg Helicopter mom kekeke] **Timberrrr** 6:20am

[I’ll be careful] **Timberrrr** 6:20am

**Tiny Squawker** 6:21am [what time!!!]

[9pm. Don’t worry lol] **Timberrrr** 6:21am

**Tiny Squawker** 6:21am [u know I always do, good luck today]

[I’ll txt you later. Go back to ur hot employer b4 she makes you get more choco pies] **Timberrr** 6:21am

**Tiny Squawker** 6:22am [don’t give her any ideas Yooh :) ]

Satisfied with their interaction, Yoohyeon got up and checked the mirror. She had to report to the company by 7:30. Her apartment wasn’t far from the Insomnia Entertainment Company building, so she had plenty of time to spare.

She fixed her slightly crooked tie and took a moment to admire the suit. The woman was never fond of stereotypes, but she couldn’t help but to enjoy the excuse to wear a suit. Double checking her tied up hair and straightening out her collar, Yoohyeon felt a familiar excitement well up inside of her. Today marked the second day of her career as an official bodyguard.

Yesterday, she had been invited to meet her employer Lee Siyeon and picked up her schedule for when she would be expected to be on duty. The schedule had a lot of start times but not enough end times, so Yoohyeon was unsure of exactly how long she’d be working each day. She had questioned Bora if this was normal, but the older woman had just shrugged and quipped that at least Yoohyeon _had_ a schedule. Yoohyeon therefore assumed that it varied depending on whose one’s employer was.

Her schedule was one thing, her employer, however, came as a bigger surprise to her. Yoohyeon had done her research on the soloist before confirming that she would take the job, and wow. On-stage, Siyeon had such an amazing charisma and a beautiful voice. She carried with her a poise and air of confidence as she performed. She owned the stage. It’s safe to say that Yoohyeon became a fan right then and there.

When she entered the meeting room to meet the soloist, she expected to confront the same power and intimidation that the woman radiated on stage. Instead, she was greeted with a shyness and softness that screamed baby-energy. It was almost a total 180 from how Siyeon appeared onstage. Yoohyeon was almost convinced that she walked into the wrong room until she locked eyes with the singer and found herself unable to breathe. In that moment, she had faintly recalled Siyeon saying that her best feature was her eyes in an interview. She wasn’t lying.

Yoohyeon started at her phone blaring a familiar tune. She searched her pocket for her phone and turned off her alarm. She may have had another hour before clocking in, but she’d rather arrive early to confirm the timeline with the other staff members. With another glance at the mirror and the flexing of her hands, it was time to go.

* * *

Yoohyeon knocked on the dance practice room’s door, not expecting a response. It was more of a courtesy, really. She opened the door to reveal a mostly empty room. She blinked.

_This was the right room, right?_

She recalled the receptionist-unnie’s directions and was sure that this was the correct place. Yoohyeon pulled her head back to double-check the room number. After confirming that this was indeed the dance room the receptionist-unnie indicated, she pushed into the room and looked around. On the couch, with her knees tucked to her chest and her phone resting idly in her hands towards her, sat Siyeon. The soloist seemed completely engrossed in whatever imagery flashed across the screen. Yoohyeon briefly wondered where the rest of the staff members were.

“Siyeon-ssi?” Yoohyeon called out gently as she entered, hoping not to surprise the woman.

Well, see, that’s what she had hoped for before Siyeon yelped and then proceeded to nearly chuck her phone across the room. Temporarily distracted with not letting her phone meet hardwood flooring, Siyeon’s yelp dissolved into various noises of panic. Yoohyeon stifled a laugh, deciding it’s better not to laugh at her employer on her second day on the job.

Clutching her phone close to her chest, the woman’s attention snapped to Yoohyeon. After recognizing the bodyguard, Siyeon let out a relieved whine. Yoohyeon couldn’t hide the look of amusement on her face.

“Sorry, it’s just me,” Yoohyeon pacified the soloist and raised her hands in feigned surrender. Embarrassed, Siyeon avoided her gaze and muttered a faint “it’s okay” and added a “don’t scare me like that” somewhere under her breath.

Yoohyeon approached the couch, unsure of what else to do in a quiet room, alone with the soloist. Oh right, they were alone.

“Where is everyone else?” She asked, breaking the silence and hopefully distracting Siyeon from the scare.

“Probably out in the garage,” answered Siyeon as she lowered her hands and changed her seating position to not resemble an upright fetal position.

Yoohyeon sensed the awkwardness that overtook them and decided to look around the room instead of directly at Siyeon. The singer seemed to appreciate her attempts at making the atmosphere more comfortable because she began explaining her previous statement with more confidence.

“That’s where we’re all supposed to meet at 7:45. I thought you might’ve been Manager-unnie coming to collect me. Wait,” Siyeon attracted Yoohyeon’s attention with a slight wave of her hand, “why are you here?”

“Oh,” Yoohyeon faltered, “am I not supposed to be in here?”

_Crap_ , Yoohyeon cursed to herself in her head. The thought of her already screwing up her job made her perfectionist side mentally kick herself.

Seemingly able to read the younger girl’s mind, or at least her expression of panic, Siyeon immediately tried to soothe the newcomer’s worries. “No no, it’s alright! I’m just… not used to other people being in here unless we’re practicing a group choreography, so I didn’t expect someone to come in when I was practicing alone.”

Yoohyeon gave her an unsure look. She wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t an issue for her to be here. Misreading her expression as disbelief towards her previous explanation, Siyeon hastily continued, “I mean, I _was_ practicing. You know, earlier, by myself. I was just monitoring myself when you came in. Here.” She turned on her phone and unlocked it before turning it towards Yoohyeon to prove it. Yoohyeon didn’t have the heart to correct Siyeon’s assumption of her expression.

Taking the gesture as an invite to come closer, Yoohyeon went towards the couch. Her eyes were glued to the phone. A message notification popped up, reading a very familiar name.

Feeling the phone vibrate, Siyeon proceeded to finish her point, “So, what I’m saying is, you can stay. I don’t mind it.” She turned the phone away from Yoohyeon just as she got close enough to comfortably look at the screen. Yoohyeon looked up at Siyeon curiously, but Siyeon avoided her gaze and brought the phone back to her chest. It was none of her business.

Yoohyeon hesitated and brought a hand to the back of her own neck, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I can leave, really. It’s no big deal. I didn’t know we were supposed to meet up at the garage. I had asked the receptionist-unnie where you were and-”

“Ah, no, it’s okay,” Siyeon interrupted, looking up at the taller girl again, “Please, stay.”

This time, it was Yoohyeon’s turn to advert her gaze. She trained her focus on the spot on the couch next to the soloist while considering her options. Yoohyeon swallowed nervously, unsure of what to do in this very awkward situation.

When she had first met the singer, although she was surprised by the complete turnaround of her aura, it was merely a brief exchange of pleasantries and names. It was followed by Yoohyeon being speechless in Siyeon’s gaze, like a lost puppy in the sights of a hungry wolf. Siyeon was then ushered away to the recording room with a schedule to keep, and that was the last Yoohyeon had seen of her yesterday. She had told herself that she had no reason to be intimidated by her employer. She was here to protect, not to fangirl.

“May I sit here?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.”

Yoohyeon took a seat, making sure to keep a respectable distance between herself and her employer. They sat in an uncomfortable silence. Both of them made it a point to try burning a hole into the far wall of the dance room. Tension filled the air.

When Siyeon stirred to finally check the message notification, Yoohyeon had instinctively glanced over at her. She took note of Siyeon’s sharp side profile. It was so unlike her round features from the front. Yoohyeon reflected on how much more beautiful Siyeon appeared in person while resisting the invasive urge to peer at Siyeon’s phone screen. Siyeon didn’t appear to respond to the message.

_Do they all know each other?_

Yoohyeon contemplated the possibility for a moment before returning her gaze to the wall as to not be caught staring.

“Do you like dogs?” Yoohyeon suddenly found herself asking, and Siyeon turned towards her inquisitively. The silence was broken.

Yoohyeon somehow found the courage to meet her eyes.

“I do,” Siyeon answered slowly, watching the bodyguard start fumbling around looking for her phone. Yoohyeon pulled out her phone and quickly went to her photo gallery. Immediately, a smile spread across her face and she scooted closer to Siyeon so that she could see the picture she pulled up.

Siyeon curiously looked at what the brunette was so excited to show her. Revealed on screen was an absolutely adorable brown Pomeranian puppy with a flower in its mouth. Gasping from the cuteness overload, Siyeon immediately became more interested and closed the gap between her and Yoohyeon to see the picture in full view.

“They’re so cute!” Siyeon exclaimed and spared Yoohyeon a glance to ask her if that was her puppy.

“Yes! Her name is Pie,” Yoohyeon answered proudly, and then proceeded to gush about how cute her dog was while swiping through more pictures to share with Siyeon.

The two of them spent the next half hour bonding over the cuteness of small and fluffy animals, nearly forgetting that they had a schedule to attend to. If it wasn’t for Manager-unnie coming in to remind them about their job, the two likely would’ve spent the next couple of hours watching YouTube videos of cute animals doing cute things.

Amidst their excitement, Yoohyeon failed to notice the lack of warmth that came from her employer’s skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this starts out a bit slowly, but it’s all part of the plot I assure you. Don’t worry though, we’ll get to the action soon enough! Again, this is my first time writing a fic, so I will try my best ^^;


	3. Chapter 2: New Moon

“Please stay behind the fence-line,” Yoohyeon warned as she ushered a particularly excited fan back into the crowd with a taut smile. This was the umpteenth fan within the last three minutes after Siyeon had left the radio station to try pushing the boundaries of how close they could get to the soloist. It wasn’t even a long walk to the car, yet it felt like the longest stretch of ground Yoohyeon had ever had the displeasure of traversing. It was filled with a sea of fans wanting to steal the slightest glimpse of the singer.

Yoohyeon had no idea that it was this bad for idols on a nearly daily basis. She had seen it on screen before, but to experience it in person was a completely different ordeal. Did people not understand the meaning of personal space?

The fan quickly apologized before suddenly stopping and just staring at Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon took notice of this, but she didn’t have the time to puzzle over it. Siyeon was already expertly weaving her way through the crowd that kept thickening and thinning at a moment’s notice. If she lingered any longer, Yoohyeon probably would’ve been left behind and likely trampled on by fans. She hurried onwards to stick by Siyeon’s side. The singer had just finished her last schedule for today, and despite how tired Yoohyeon felt with keeping extra-touchy fans at bay, it was no match to how tired Siyeon looked.

The soloist was wrapped up in a blanket. The lower half of her chin was tucked below the fabric, and her deep brown eyes tiredly followed Manager-unnie. Her steps were slow, and although she would still raise the occasional hand to wave, Yoohyeon realized they were coming more infrequently compared to their earlier encounters with fans. She knew the woman was just as excited to see all the people that supported her as they did to see her, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t also still be worn out.

Yoohyeon stepped her way in front of Siyeon, halting her in her tracks. She looked up at Yoohyeon curiously.

“Come on.” Yoohyeon leaned down with her back towards the wrapped-up soloist and gestured for her to get on her back. She tried her best to ignore the increased rate of cameras snapping. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment under all of the extra attention, but she remained steadfast in her offer.

Yoohyeon was Siyeon’s bodyguard. That meant she was supposed to protect her, and how could she properly protect her if she couldn’t also protect her bodily health?

Siyeon understandably hesitated. She likely didn’t remember reading piggybacks as part of the services Yoohyeon offered.

“Yoohyeon-ah?”

“You’re tired, right?”

“Yes, but…“

“Then get on. The car’s not far, and you look like you’re about to drop dead any moment now.”

Yoohyeon gestured once again for Siyeon to take her offer, missing the way Siyeon stiffened at her statement. There was another moment of hesitation. Yoohyeon was nearly convinced that Siyeon wasn’t going to get on her back and that she had just successfully embarrassed herself in front of all of Siyeon’s fans. She briefly imagined being the laughingstock of the fandom.

Before she decided to come to terms with her fate, Yoohyeon felt a couple of hands meet her shoulders.

“Thank you,” Siyeon muttered before hopping onto her back. Yoohyeon caught Siyeon’s legs successfully and her neutral expression shifted into a relieved grin.

“Comfortable?” Yoohyeon asked her passenger as Siyeon tightened her hold across her shoulders and neck, nearly choking the taller woman. Siyeon groggily hummed her affirmation once she rested her head against the side of Yoohyeon’s.

Yoohyeon adjusted her grip on Siyeon and scanned the nearby area for their, apparently desperately needed, guide that is Manager-unnie. In her search, she met eyes with a familiar fan. She realized, a moment too late, what was happening. The fan had lifted her camera and took a picture of Yoohyeon staring directly at her.

Yoohyeon suddenly felt hot under all of the attention again and shyly looked away. She returned to her mission of finding Manager-unnie.

She found the petite woman rapidly waving for Yoohyeon and Siyeon to hurry up. Yoohyeon happily obliged. She didn’t want to stay under these watchful eyes a moment longer.

* * *

The car ride to Siyeon’s dorm was quiet. The aforementioned singer was sound asleep with her head against Yoohyeon’s shoulder when they arrived. Yoohyeon roused her, feeling a pang of sympathy when Siyeon groaned in protest and curled her arms around Yoohyeon’s.

“We’re here Siyeon-ssi. You should go inside,” Yoohyeon reported softly while peeling Siyeon off her arm.

“Not unless you carry me in,” Siyeon protested tiredly and immediately reattached herself to Yoohyeon. For somehow who was supposedly so tired, she still possessed a lot of strength.

Yoohyeon sighed, “Siyeon-ssi, please.”

“You can call me Unnie. It’s fine.”

“Okay, Siyeon-unnie, please go inside,” Yoohyeon tried again, but to no avail.

“You’re carrying me,” Siyeon childishly insisted and Yoohyeon groaned.

“I knew I shouldn’t have given you that piggyback. Okay, fine, let go of me.”

Yoohyeon let out another sigh and shook her head in an amused disbelief once Siyeon finally released her from her grasp. Of all the things she expected to do as a bodyguard, she didn’t think it’d include giving her employer a piggyback ride to her dorm. To be fair, she did ask for it by giving her that piggyback earlier.

She exited the vehicle and circled around it to Siyeon’s side. She waved her hand to the driver apologetically as she did so.

“Okay Siyeon-unnie,” she started when she opened the door to Siyeon stretching out both her hands towards the younger one, “you’re going to have to get out first. I don’t want to break my back.”

Siyeon pouted, and Yoohyeon thought that she was being absolutely unfair. She resisted giving in by taking a step back from the car door and turning around to wait on her employer.

_When did I become a bodyguard for a child?_ Yoohyeon wondered in good nature after Siyeon whined in disappointment.

She smiled. Despite her sighs, Yoohyeon appreciated the fact that she and her first employer could get along like this. She had been worried that she would be assigned to either a very rude and aloof employer that only viewed her as a tool or to a disgusting and inappropriate employer that only hired her to objectify her. She cleared her mind of those thoughts and focused on the present reality, which was that she was about to give her current employer a piggyback ride for the second time today.

Siyeon warned Yoohyeon by placing two hands on her shoulders like before and hopped onto her back. Yoohyeon caught her with ease and silently thanked gravity for being her friend today. The last thing she’d want is to either drop the soloist or to trip with her on her back.

“Tell me where to go,” she requested Siyeon, and Siyeon gave the instructions on how to get through the building to the elevator.

When they arrived at the elevator, Yoohyeon huffed.

“Do I really have to carry you? Even in the elevator?”

Siyeon didn’t respond, and that was when Yoohyeon realized that she fell back to sleep. She considered waking her up again before noticing the keyring around Siyeon’s finger. Yoohyeon read the room number off the key the best she could.

“I hope I’m reading this right,” she muttered to herself and begrudgingly trekked into the elevator when the doors opened.

She pressed the floor she assumed Siyeon lived on and took the time to adjust her grip on the singer again.

She froze.

Siyeon was cold.

She suddenly became hyper aware of the lack of body heat coming from her employer.

Panic rose in her chest, and she frantically looked around the enclosed box she found herself in. It was cool outside, but surely it wasn’t cold enough for Siyeon’s body to no longer produce its own heat. They were just inside a warm vehicle and the building’s air conditioning wasn’t _that_ strong. Her mind kicked into overdrive as she started to dissect every last possible reason for Siyeon to be cold like this.

Most of her thoughts assumed the worst.

“Siyeon-ssi?” She tried, but the girl didn’t stir.

“Siyeon-unnie?” She tried again, louder, but Siyeon still didn’t react.

Her breath quickened, and her throat tightened.

_There is no way. She couldn’t have! She’s been on my back this entire time. Hold on. No, no, no._

Yoohyeon couldn’t wait for the elevator to reach its destination any longer and began setting Siyeon down. Alarmed by the movement, Siyeon finally woke up and muttered her confusion. Despite this, Yoohyeon continued to lower Siyeon and turned around immediately after she set Siyeon’s feet down on the ground. Siyeon barely managed to steady herself, now wide awake. Her expression reflected the same apprehension displayed on Yoohyeon’s face.

“What’s wrong? What are you doing?” Siyeon asked once Yoohyeon wordlessly started checking her over.

“Are you feeling okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Yoohyeon asked, her voice unusually high. She didn’t know what she was expecting to find by checking Siyeon’s person. Maybe she was expecting to find a knife embedded in her side or something.

Without waiting for her to respond, Yoohyeon took Siyeon’s wrist to check her pulse, but Siyeon immediately recoiled and backed herself against the elevator wall. Surprised by the dramatic reaction, Yoohyeon also recoiled and pressed her back against the elevator doors. Both women’s eyes were wide.

Yoohyeon’s hands were up apologetically and Siyeon held her wrist close to her body as though Yoohyeon had wounded her. She was looking at Yoohyeon in shock. It sent guilt coursing through Yoohyeon at the thought of her accidentally hurting the other woman.

“I-I’m sorry,” stuttered Yoohyeon, “You just felt so cold, and I thought that something was wrong. I just wanted to make sure you were oka-“

She didn’t have time to finish her explanation before the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Yoohyeon’s brain was still in complete shambles, and she therefore didn’t realize the movement until she was rapidly stumbling backwards towards the floor. She let out a string of noises as if that was going to help keep her from falling. Apparently having more sense than Yoohyeon, or perhaps faster reflexes, Siyeon instinctively lunged forward and caught Yoohyeon’s arm. The elevator doors closed behind them, without a care for Yoohyeon’s mishap.

Yoohyeon yelped when Siyeon hoisted her into a more stable, upright position, and she found herself face to face with the soloist. She was about to rush out her thanks and another string of apologies before she realized that Siyeon wasn’t looking at her like she expected her to be. Instead, she was looking past the bodyguard. Yoohyeon’s voice caught in her throat.

For the first time since being employed to her, Yoohyeon felt the same intimidation and power she experienced when she had watched Siyeon perform. Siyeon’s grip on Yoohyeon’s arm tightened to almost a painful degree, and her eyes narrowed into a glare towards whatever was behind Yoohyeon. Her posture was straight, causing the blanket to slip from her shoulders and pool around her feet. Her disheveled black hair only served to enhance the threatening scowl on Siyeon’s face. This was no longer the cute, put her in your pocket Siyeon. This was the Siyeon that commanded attention and demanded respect. Despite being taller than the singer, Yoohyeon couldn’t help but feel incredibly small in front of her. She fleetingly felt a sense of shame for feeling this way when she was supposed to be the bodyguard here.

“Why are you here?” Siyeon growled out in a dangerously low tone that sent a shiver of unease down Yoohyeon’s spine. Yoohyeon turned her head to see who Siyeon was speaking to.

“It’s good to see you too, Siyeon-unnie.”

“Answer my question, Gahyeon-ah.”

_Gahyeon? Where have I heard that name before?_

The smaller woman only smiled in response and turned her attention to Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon felt Siyeon pull her closer to her defensively.

And almost possessively.

Gahyeon’s smile faded at the action. She returned her gaze towards Siyeon with an unamused expression. Yoohyeon got the sense that the attempt at pleasantries was over.

“We need to talk.”

“We don’t _need_ to do anything.”


	4. Chapter 3: Waning

“You’re right, Unnie. _We_ don’t need to do anything, but _you_ do.”

Gahyeon’s voice almost sounded like she was pleading, but Yoohyeon couldn’t tell for sure from the iciness of her tone. It sounded frustrated, like this was something she had been trying to tell Siyeon for a while. Yoohyeon didn’t have the chance to delve further into Gahyeon’s intent before she was flinching.

Yoohyeon gasped in both surprise and pain whenever Siyeon’s grip tightened on her waist. The soloist was still wearing her sharp nails, and they were dangerously digging into her side. The noise snapped Siyeon out of whatever stupor of hostility she had been in, and she swiveled her head to take notice of Yoohyeon. The taller woman was staring at her with wide eyes.

Siyeon immediately unhanded Yoohyeon, apparently just now realizing what she had been doing. Her aura of intimidation evaporated into that of a cornered animal. The look of fear and shame on her employer’s face reignited the sense of duty within Yoohyeon. It was her turn to be the protective one. It was her turn to do her job.

Yoohyeon spun around and stood imposingly in front of the smaller woman, barring Siyeon from this Gahyeon figure’s sight. Gahyeon raised a brow, and Yoohyeon scowled. She did not appreciate the way the woman was eyeing her as though she was merely some sort of entertainment.

“Ma’am,” Yoohyeon’s voice came out lower than expected, “I will have to ask you to either leave or to step aside. Siyeon-ssi clearly does not want to have any business with you. I ask that you respect her wishes.” Her tone indicated that she was not actually asking Gahyeon to listen, but rather ordering her to.

Gahyeon chuckled amusedly and raised a hand. Yoohyeon instinctively took on a more defensive stance. She shifted her right leg slightly behind herself, placing herself more at an angle to the smaller woman. One of her arms extended across the front of Siyeon’s body and the other came to the ready. To Yoohyeon’s surprise, Gahyeon stepped to the side of the hallway and swept the raised hand down in a “be on your way” gesture.

Yoohyeon held Gahyeon’s unwavering gaze a moment longer before glancing back at Siyeon. Her expression softened once she saw how withdrawn Siyeon had become. Her eyes were cast down, and her posture had shrunk. She was grasping both of her arms and looked extremely… vulnerable. Yoohyeon sent a warning glance towards Gahyeon, silently commanding the woman to stay put. Gahyeon dropped her pose in response. Her expression became less noticeably demeaning and more curious.

Satisfied, Yoohyeon focused back onto the singer. She leaned down to collect the blanket that had fallen off of Siyeon’s shoulders and quietly began wrapping her back up in it. She briefly noted the continued lack of warmth that was coming off of her.

“May I have the key?” asked Yoohyeon as she reached for Siyeon’s hand that had been clutching the key tightly against her own arm. She gently took her hand as if she were the most fragile object in the world. As far as Yoohyeon was concerned, right now, Siyeon was.

Siyeon silently gave her affirmation by allowing Yoohyeon to slide the keyring off her finger. She pulled the blanket further around her body after the key was found safely in Yoohyeon’s grasp. Yoohyeon whispered her gratitude and held out her hand for Siyeon’s to take.

There was a slight hesitation as Siyeon took a moment to gather herself. She inhaled a deep, shuddering breath before reaching her hand towards Yoohyeon’s. She flinched at the contact, but she refilled the gap before Yoohyeon had any chance to comment about it. Once Siyeon’s hand was in Yoohyeon’s, the latter’s face hardened again. She began leading Siyeon to her room, keeping the woman close to her person at every slight movement.

As they passed by Gahyeon, Yoohyeon didn’t even spare her another look. She didn’t know how she should feel about the other woman. All she knew was that Gahyeon’s presence was causing Siyeon distress, and even if she wasn’t the soloist’s bodyguard, Yoohyeon wouldn’t have wanted Siyeon to be left in a potentially triggering situation.

“I’m glad that Siyeon chose a capable person,” Gahyeon commented as they passed.

Though intrigued, Yoohyeon didn’t react. Instead, she found herself hyper focusing on Siyeon’s tightened grip around her hand as she guided her along.

Gahyeon added to her comment in a barely audible voice. It was just loud enough that Yoohyeon could make out the syllables, but quiet enough that she would have missed it if she had not been acutely aware of her surroundings.

“You know you have to _eat_ , Unnie.”

Siyeon and Yoohyeon both stiffened. There was a stutter in Siyeon steps that caused Yoohyeon to slow her pace. Just before Yoohyeon turned back towards Siyeon, the singer ushered Yoohyeon onwards. The bodyguard hurriedly obeyed the unspoken command without question and resumed her normal strides.

Only once they reached Siyeon’s room did Yoohyeon venture a glance back to where Gahyeon once stood. The smaller girl was nowhere in sight. She didn’t understand why, but she felt an unexplainable weight lift off of her shoulders now that she was certain Gahyeon’s calculating gaze was no longer on them.

She rubbed her thumb soothingly over the back of Siyeon’s hand before fiddling with the lock on the door. Opening Siyeon’s door, Yoohyeon stepped partially inside and released Siyeon’s hand. She held open the door and gulped down the flurry of questions that wracked her brain, begging to be asked.

_Who was that? Why was she here? Are you okay? What did she mean by you need to eat? Is that why you were so cold?_

Yoohyeon decided against interrogating the evidently mentally exhausted idol after watching her all but stumble into the dorm. She felt her protective instincts bloom within her chest again, and she moved to help Siyeon get settled into her single suite. However, as soon as Siyeon kicked off her shoes, she turned around towards Yoohyeon and placed the palm of her hands against the side of Yoohyeon’s arm, halting her approach.

“You… You can go now Yoohyeon-ah.”

She lowered her eyes when Yoohyeon frowned.

“Thank you for all of your help today. I’m sorry that it turned out this way. I didn’t know that she would be here. You can go home now. You’re off duty,” Siyeon rushed out. Yoohyeon sensed a sort of panic coming over her, and it only made her want to stay longer to make sure that everything was okay. However, Siyeon was now practically pushing Yoohyeon out through the doorway.

“Siyeon-unnie, wait.” Yoohyeon planted her feet and abruptly faced Siyeon. She firmly grabbed her wrists to stop her from shoving. Siyeon’s hands were trembling and now Yoohyeon was even more convinced that she should stay.

“No, you _need_ to go.”

Siyeon wrenched her wrists from Yoohyeon’s grasp and the next thing she said shattered Yoohyeon resolve.

“ _Please_.”

This one word was spoken in such a small, fragile, and desperate voice, that Yoohyeon felt like if she were to protest then Siyeon would quite literally break right before her eyes.

Relenting, Yoohyeon shakily took a step back and dropped her arms in defeat. She never once took her concerned eyes off of Siyeon until the door completely closed between them. She just stood there, staring at the door as if she were a misbehaving puppy that had just been thrown out of her home.

“Please be okay, Siyeon-unnie,” she prayed under her breath before finally gathering the willpower to move again. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to turn around and insist that Siyeon let her stay, even if it was just to make sure that she will be okay. Alas, she already found herself back in the elevator returning to the ground floor.

* * *

_Oh, I need to tell Bora that I’m off of work now_ , Yoohyeon thought vacantly.

In a daze, she searched her pockets for her phone and pulled it out to contact her best friend. The screen displayed 9:32PM, and she sighed heavily. That meant that the vampire feeding that Bora warned her about was still going on. The last thing she wanted to have to worry about right now was vampires.

The elevator dinged, signaling for her to exit. Dragging her feet, she removed herself from the elevator and pushed open the building’s main doors to an empty street. Of course, it was empty. Why did Yoohyeon ever think that the driver was just going to wait on her to return from dropping Siyeon off when she took way more than just a few courtesy minutes? He had a life too.

Her shoulders drooped. The stress of the day finally started to hit her, and it was hitting her hard. She contemplated finding a nice patch of concrete to call it a day on. That idea sounded much more appealing to her than making the trek back to apartment on foot, in the dark, with vampires with ill-intentions roaming about. Even though the company building wasn’t far from her apartment, Siyeon’s dorm was a different story.

The brunette looked back down at her phone and took it off the Do Not Disturb mode. As expected, she was greeted with a positively unhealthy amount of notifications from Bora demanding a response from her. Most were a series of questions asking her how her second day of work was going or how it went while the rest of them was her asking if Yoohyeon was done yet and if she was someplace safe.

Yoohyeon concluded that it would be easier for her to try calling her friend instead of trying to answer every single question through text. She dialed Bora’s number and anxiously waited for her to answer. Her heart filled with affection for the older woman.

No matter how busy Bora may be herself, she always managed to find time for Yoohyeon. She always made sure to check in and to always be there for her if she ever needed. Yoohyeon wondered how she does it. She wondered if she doesn’t ever get burnt out from it all. Bora may have had a boost in stamina from her vampirism, but surely it has gotten the better of her at some point.

She pressed her back against the wall adjacent to the doors and slid down onto to ground. There was a nip in the air, but it wasn’t unbearable. Her suit kept her warm enough on its own. The acknowledgment caused her mind to wander to her employer, and the thoughts she found there were nothing short of worrisome.

The ringing ceased and an enthusiastic voice replaced the rhythmic tune of Bora’s ringtone.

“Yoohyeon-ah! I’ve been waiting ages for you to call. It’s nine-forty you know. Are you home? You _are_ home, right?”

“Hello to you too, Unnie,” Yoohyeon laughed, feeling herself relax at hearing Bora’s loud voice through the phone.

She continued to answer Bora’s questions before she started to list them all off again, “No, I’m not home and yes, I know the time. I just dropped Siyeon-unnie off at her dorm. Something weird happened, but I’ll tell you about it when you come pick me up. Ah, right. Unnie, I kind of need you to pick me up. Can you do that? I’ll send you the address.”

Yoohyeon overheard a soft voice in the background ask Bora a question that she couldn’t quite catch. However, she did recognize that voice.

“Are you with Handong-unnie right now?”

“Unnie?” The familiar voice giggled, closer to the phone. There was a bit of shuffling heard in the background before Bora responded.

“Yeah, I’m currently out with DongDong. It’s okay though, we can pick you up. Are you inside?”

There was that concerned tone again.

“Err, no, I’m sitting next to the doors outside. Hold on, before you say anything, I’m sending the address.” Yoohyeon sent her current location to Bora’s phone and let out a yawn.

Before Bora chastised her about being outside, Yoohyeon expanded her response. “And don’t worry, I’m going inside. Just honk whenever you get here.”

“No, no. I’ll come in to get you. I don’t want to wake anyone up,” Bora claimed which caused Yoohyeon to snicker.

“Bora-unnie, you’re always yelling. You’d wake up the whole apartment anyways.”

Yoohyeon heard an indignant scoff in unison with, clearly, a failed attempt at stifling a chuckle. It was followed by some banter. Well, the banter was mostly just Bora making threats of leaving them both along with claims of their relationships being “this” close to breaking – Yoohyeon imagined Bora holding her fingers barely an inch apart – and that Yoohyeon should just spend the night in the lobby instead.

“We will be there soon Yoohyeon-ah,” Handong chimed in during Bora’s rant, and Yoohyeon perked up at the detail she had missed from Bora earlier.

“We? You’re coming with her Handong-unnie?”

“Well, duh! We went out for food,” this was Bora, “I’m not going to just leave her here! What kind of monster do you think I am? …Don’t answer that.”

Yoohyeon felt a grin replace the hopeless pout that had taken over her lips since being shoved out of Siyeon’s dorm. Her heavy heart felt just a bit lighter in her excitement. This was going to be the first time she gets to meet Bora’s highly praised, often-talked-about, embodiment-of-beauty girlfriend who apparently led the Nightmare Musical Theater Troupe at Insomnia Entertainment. Needless to say, she had been waiting for any sort of excuse to meet her best friend’s girlfriend the moment Bora accidentally mentioned her during a battle over french-fries.

She hoisted herself off of the concrete, dusted her pants, and reentered the building.

“Awesome, can’t wait! I’ll see you both soon. Please get here quickly,” she yawned out in spite out herself. It has been a long day.

After receiving words of acknowledgment from both the girls, Yoohyeon hung up and slid her phone back into her pocket. She sat on the guest bench and slunk down it with a tired huff. She didn’t care if her ponytail or bangs were an absolute mess right now.

She allowed herself a moment to close her eyes.

But it was only for a moment.

She almost forgot something.

Her eyes fluttered back open.

The name she had seen pop up on Siyeon’s notifications when they were in the dance practice room…

Was Handong’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you’re enjoying this so far ;;; The next chapter will be from Siyeon’s point of view and it will focus much more on the vampire side of things, I promise. Things will be picking up from here on, so stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 4: Burning Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a reminder, this chapter is in Siyeon’s POV! TW // Anxiety attack, mentions of blood

Siyeon could still sense her outside of her door.

_Please leave. Please leave. Please leave. Please, just leave._

Siyeon’s hand had not even left the doorknob yet. She was shaking. Her body was actively fighting against her. Her throat was tight, and she found it hard to breathe. She felt out of control. She kept clenching and unclenching her jaw, afraid that she might shatter her teeth by how hard she was clamping down. Her gaze was unfocused as she rushed to keep up with her racing thoughts.

“Please be okay, Siyeon-unnie.”

Yoohyeon’s quiet voice from beyond the door pierced her ears as if she had screamed it. Siyeon felt her hand tighten against the doorknob, and she pulled the door towards her as if Yoohyeon was going to try opening it again.

Guilt filled Siyeon for how she was treating her. She didn’t have to be so mean to Yoohyeon. She didn’t have to push her away when she was just concerned for her. She didn’t have to reduce Yoohyeon down to only her job just to get her to leave.

The soloist heard the girl’s footsteps fade away, and she finally let out the shaky breath she had been holding. She collapsed onto the floor.

The tears she had been holding back overtook her like waves crashing mercilessly upon her, drowning her within its turbulent current. She made herself as small as possible. Her arms hugged her knees tightly to her chest and her nails dug into her skin. It was almost as though she was trying to hold herself together. Her body searched for the stability that her brain could not reliably acknowledge.

She rocked in rhythm with her sobs in an attempt to calm herself down. Her mind worked in overdrive to try convincing herself that she was going to be okay while simultaneously berating her for her lack of control over herself. It kept reminding Siyeon of the very fact she hated the most: the fact that she was no longer human.

Her mind mocked her relentlessly. Even after all of these years of being a vampire, she still couldn’t accept it. She hated it. She hated knowing that she had to feed on a human being just to survive. She hated going through every day while being taunted by the heartbeats of the humans around her. They were always a reminder of her destructive existence. She had to hurt people for her own sustenance. She was a threat, a danger to others. She couldn’t ever justify that to herself. It was wrong. _She_ was wrong.

Her sobs eventually came to a stop, and she slowly uncoiled herself from her balled up posture. If she wasn’t mentally exhausted before, she sure was now. Her muscles protested angrily as she struggled to get herself off the floor.

Siyeon’s dorm felt dark and uninviting to her. It seemed to be enclosing in on her, and everything that should have been recognizable by now still appeared foreign. She felt no love for this place. All of the décor was merely a forlorn attempt at maintaining some semblance of her stolen humanity.

Trudging through her single, Siyeon caught a whiff of something familiar. She halted. Her heart rate picked up again as she immediately became more alert. Adrenaline rushed through her, sending energy coursing through her veins like a wildfire. Her eyes darted around to scan the darkness.

She smelled Gahyeon. She had been here. She had been in her dorm.

_Why was she in my dorm?!_ Siyeon screamed furiously in her head. Anger replaced the initial panic and boiled within the pit of her stomach. Gahyeon invaded her privacy. Her hands curled into tight fists before relaxing to release the tension that was returning to her system. She timed her breath with every flex of her fists as she entered the kitchen. That was where Gahyeon’s scent was the strongest.

She flipped on the light, and her breaths stopped.

On the table, illuminated by the harsh fluorescent light, stood a lone plastic bottle. It appeared to be a reused water-bottle with a post-it note stuck to it. However, that wasn’t why Siyeon’s breath caught in her throat. The bottle contained a sickeningly familiar shade of red liquid.

Blood.

Of course it was.

Siyeon approached the table with slow, measured steps. It was as though she was navigating a dungeon where every tile below her feet could be a pressure-plate to a trap. Her eyes focused on the bottle as if it were going to spontaneously grow legs and start running. She knew exactly why this was here. There was no getting around it.

Snatching the post-it off the plastic, Siyeon began reading the message Gahyeon left behind.

[Drink this. Sorry for coming in without permission. I’ll know if you don’t drink. Don’t do this again.]

The paper crumpled in the singer’s hand, and it was followed by a growl of frustration as she slammed her fist down onto the table. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to _have_ to do this, but deep down, she knew that she appreciated Gahyeon for giving her this. She didn’t understand why the woman would always go out of her way just to take care of Siyeon’s self-destructive self.

She had tried pushing her away. She had tried pushing them all away. Yet, they have never given up on her. Not yet anyways.

Her anger dissipated into an all too familiar self-inflicted misery. She let the crumbled post-it note roll across the table as she gingerly picked up the bottle. It was still warm.

Siyeon felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably. That meant it was fresh. She knew that the bottled blood, no matter how fresh, would not be able to fully satisfy her like live-drawn blood would, but she supposed it will be enough to tie her over.

Once she opened the bottle, her senses kicked into overdrive. The thirst she had struggled so hard to hide away came surging to the surface at the smell. She couldn’t have ignored it even if she wanted to. She was so, _so_ thirsty. Her month of starvation overtook her mind and the only thing she could think about in that moment was to quench it.

_Drink. Drink. Drink. Drink._

She no longer had the willpower to resist.

And so… she brought the bottle to her lips and drank.

* * *

Siyeon sat down on her bed. She had already cleaned up for the day and was comfortably sporting her pajamas of a tie dye shirt and long pants. After the… drink… she had felt some energy return to her. She sensed a stability within her as her body was no longer actively punishing her for denying her vampiric body’s basic needs. Her body felt warmer than it had in a long time, and her mind was clearer.

She groaned loudly and put her face in her hands. It is safe to say that Siyeon was currently regretting all of her life’s choices.

“I can’t believe myself,” she whined as she laid onto her back. “I’m such an idiot. Oh my God, I need to apologize to Yoohyeon-ah.”

She stared at the ceiling for a moment before cringing to herself. Everything about today was just a mess to her. She started nitpicking every single thing that went wrong and everything she didn’t do perfectly. She made a mental promise to herself to do better next time.

As she went back through her day while rolling around on her bed, she remembered the text she had received from Handong. She sat up and leaned over her bed to her makeshift cardboard nightstand to retrieve her phone.

Handong had sent her a strange text asking her how she was holding up. When Siyeon had read it in the dance room, she didn’t think much of it. Now, she found it curious. Handong had never asked her how she was “holding up” before. No, Handong doesn’t usually _ask_ her anything. Not anymore at least. Instead, she would check in more like “I hope you are doing well, here’s a cat picture” and then Siyeon would promptly leave her on read.

Guilt pricked at Siyeon’s heart. She couldn’t ever bring herself to respond to her, especially not after all of this time. She would tell herself that it was better like this. It was easier to build a wall than to welcome a hug. Siyeon didn’t think that she’d deserve the hug anyways. Handong had her own chapter in Siyeon’s large book of things she felt guilty about.

Siyeon, let her down. Siyeon, disappointed her.

**Handong** 7:20am [How are you holding up? I miss you]

Now rereading the message, Siyeon was even more convinced that something was odd about it. Not only was there an unusual use of a question mark in there, but there was also no cat picture or video nor a motivational quote. Siyeon knew that Handong always tried to cheer her up whenever she’d send a message. It was sweet. Or, perhaps more appropriately, bittersweet. Siyeon didn’t know how to feel about those messages. All they did was deepen the guilt she already felt about purposefully ignoring her. However, this message was none of that. This message directly invited a response.

She rubbed her fingers against the sides of her phone anxiously. The singer was just staring at the screen, constantly reading and rereading Handong’s message. Her eyebrows creased in deep thought as she attempted to dissect the performer’s enigmatic text.

_Did she know that something was going on? Is that why she asked?_

Siyeon glanced in the general direction of her kitchen despite there being a wall in the way.

_Did Gahyeon-ah tell them?_

She hummed her disagreement at the thought.

_Gahyeon wouldn’t do that, would she?_

_No_.

Siyeon didn’t believe that she would. Gahyeon would always let them do whatever they wanted as long as they stayed safe doing it. If they requested privacy, then she would grant them their request. She usually kept them at arm’s length anyways, right up until they do something that puts them in danger.

Even if that danger was themselves.

Siyeon continued to puzzle over the text. If Gahyeon didn’t tell Handong anything, then why did she frame her question in such a way? Siyeon could not fathom why she would just randomly ask her this, suddenly, out of the blue. As far as she knew, this was unwarranted.

Maybe she was overthinking this. It’s not impossible that Handong could’ve just wanted to change up how she approached Siyeon. Maybe Handong really just missed her like she said she did. Siyeon’s heart sunk at the notion.

That was probably the case. No, it definitely was.

Siyeon set her phone back down on the nightstand. She already felt the tears threatening to fall again.

Siyeon couldn’t accept that she was vampire. If she thought that, then didn’t that also mean that she couldn’t properly accept the rest of them as well? How could she face them, saying that she didn’t like what she was when they were vampires too? She internalized this idea to the point that it began to eat away at her. Any time she saw them, despite knowing that she loved every bit of every single one them, she couldn’t shake the fear of being unworthy of them by not accepting her own vampirism. Any time she saw them, she was reminded of the part of herself that she had no control over, the part of herself that she hated the most. Any time she saw them, she hurt.

So, she left. She left them and scarcely talked to any of them again.

Siyeon got under her heavy duvet and pulled it tightly across her shoulders. She felt a sob well up in her throat as she fought to hold back her tears. Closing her eyes, Siyeon took a deep breath and held it before slowly releasing it. She repeated this process over and over, hoping that sleep will soon overtake her before the tears did.

* * *

[I miss you too…] 9:51pm **WolfieSingie**


	6. Chapter 5: Mara of the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV | TW // Anxiety

“Yoohyeon-ah?” A soft voice drew Yoohyeon from her slumber. The bodyguard blinked her eyes open and looked up to see who was addressing her. Not recognizing the blonde woman hovering over her, Yoohyeon immediately sat up. The remnants of her short nap evaporated due to her panic. The woman smiled and nervously tucked her short hair behind her ear. She seemed to take notice of Yoohyeon’s confusion.

“I’m Handong,” announced the woman as she offered her hand to help Yoohyeon up. “Your ride is here.”

“Oh! Handong-unnie! It’s, wow, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Yoohyeon. Thanks,” she accepted the offer and allowed Handong to help pull her up off the bench. “Wait, you already know that. Um, hi?”

Handong only giggled at Yoohyeon’s flustered attempt at introducing herself, causing Yoohyeon to flash her the best, super carefully crafted nervous smile that she could muster. It seemed to work since Handong’s own small smile widened in response.

The taller girl really wanted to make a good first impression on her best friend’s girlfriend. After only hearing great things about her, Yoohyeon was eager to see what all the hype was about. One thing was for certain already though; Handong was downright beautiful. Bora hadn’t been exaggerating about that at all.

“Hello,” Handong returned the greeting amusedly. She took a respectful step back from Yoohyeon and moved a couple paces towards the door. She looked over her shoulder to take in their current location once more. Her eyes wandered the lobby as though she was scoping it out rather than simply acknowledging it. Yoohyeon followed her gaze before snapping back to the woman once she let out a low hum and spoke again.

“Let’s go, Bora-unnie is waiting for us. It’s nice to meet you too, Yoohyeon-ah.” Her voice was smooth and soothing, yet captivating. Yoohyeon nodded in agreement.

“That’s probably a good idea. She might leave us here like she said she would earlier.”

“You never know with her, but I’d have to break up with her if she did though.” Handong opened the door with a grin. She didn’t seem to take her own words very seriously.

“I’m surprised you haven’t already,” Yoohyeon jested after a nod of thanks to the slightly shorter woman for holding the door open for her.

“I’ve had my moments,” Handong humored Yoohyeon’s statement. She stared off towards Bora’s car wistfully as if she were considering all of the moments where Bora has made her second guess what she signed up for. However, she was unable to hide the expression of love and adoration she held for the small woman. Yoohyeon took an extra moment to examine Handong’s expression, feeling a sense of reassurance fill her.

Bora deserved someone who loved her as much as she loved everyone else around her. Yoohyeon felt her lips curl upwards in a smile. Handong appeared to be that someone. She joined Handong in just simply staring at the car that concealed the aforementioned woman within.

The window rolled down, and they both knew what was about to come next.

“What are you two just standing there for? Come on! Hurry up! Get in!”

Yoohyeon snickered as she watched Bora hang half of her body out of the window to animatedly gesture for them to come hither. Glancing at Handong, they met each other’s eyes and started laughing. They took off towards the car and got in.

* * *

Well, they didn’t get in until after they both lingered at the car doors an extra moment to look back at the apartment building they had just exited. Both of them bore a similar expression but for vastly different reasons. Yoohyeon returned her attention back to the vehicle before Handong and noticed this. She narrowed her eyes curiously but held her tongue.

Recalling that Siyeon didn’t appear to reply to Handong when they were in the dance room and noting the fact that this was where Siyeon lived, Yoohyeon wondered if Handong was thinking about the singer at this moment. It would make sense. Maybe she was wondering what Siyeon was up to right now. Yoohyeon shook her head and entered the car. She decided that it was better to mind her own business for now.

“About time,” exclaimed an exasperated Bora once Handong also took her seat in the vehicle. “Did you two see a ghost or something? What took you so long?”

“Thinking about you,” Handong retorted with no emotion. She clicked in her seat belt and glanced back at the bodyguard in the backseat. She gave her a wink.

Yoohyeon got the hint. “Yeah, we were thinking that we’d rather just grab a taxi instead. We might’ve gotten some peace and quiet that way.”

“Unbelievable,” Bora scoffed and Yoohyeon imagined her rolling her eyes. Grumbling, she turned the ignition without adding any extra comment. Her passivity surprised Yoohyeon before she realized what she was doing.

This wasn’t Bora being passive. This was her staying quiet just to spite them. Yoohyeon would let her play that game. She had more important things to worry about, like getting to know Handong.

“So, I heard you do musical theater.”

“Yes,” Handong confirmed.

“Do you have any performances coming up?”

“We have one this Thursday. Our tickets managed sell out, so we’re expecting a full house.”

“Oh…”

Deflated, Yoohyeon looked out the slightly tinted window. The lights of other cars flashed by and Yoohyeon found herself mesmerized by the way the world around her was constantly in action. No matter how stationary she may be, there would always be something else moving or happening both within and around her. She has no control over it. It will move with or without her. There are so many secrets, so many variables hidden within the slightest twitch. She wanted to pick it apart and investigate it. She wanted to learn about all there was that this life had to offer her.

“Did you want to watch us?” Handong’s voice wrenched Yoohyeon out of her thoughts.

“Oh, I did, but I can wait until your next performance. It’s okay,” Yoohyeon clarified, still watching the world shift beyond the window.

“You could come to one of our practices if you’d like.” Handong’s offer managed to pull Yoohyeon’s attention away from outside world. Bora hummed her approval of the idea.

Yoohyeon stared at the back of Handong’s head, or at least what she could see of it around the car seat.

“Really?” She shifted in her seat in anticipation.

Handong did her best to look at Yoohyeon, awkwardly turning her head around the furthest it could possibly go. She seemed pleased by Yoohyeon’s enthusiasm.

“Of course. We have practice tomorrow at 6 in the evening. We practice in the basement.”

“Basement?”

Handong smiled.

“Of the company building. There is a stage that we practice on down there.”

“Oh!” Yoohyeon mentally faced palmed.

“Yes, Yoohyeon-ah,” Bora finally chimed in, not willing to miss a chance to tease her friend. “They all pile up in a dark, abandoned basement in the middle of nowhere and perform a summoning ritual for a demon to come devour the world under the guise of practicing for musical theater. Yes, that is exactly what they do.”

“That was oddly specific, Bora-unnie. Is there something you want to tell us?” Yoohyeon fired back.

Laughter shook Handong’s shoulders. She had already returned to a proper seating position, and her hand pat against Bora’s arm in her spout of amusement. It drew Bora’s attention away from the road for a moment as she gave Handong an eye-smile, sharing her amusement. It was a soft moment between the two exchanging looks of adoration.

To Yoohyeon, however, it was a moment of rising anxiety the longer it went on.

“The road, Unnie. Eyes on the road, please.”

Bora rolled her eyes and promptly returned her focus to driving. Yoohyeon let out a breath. Bora might be a vampire and would probably survive a crash, but Yoohyeon was as human as humans come. She really wasn’t fancying the idea of having a windshield or a chunk of metal replace where her flesh was supposed to be.

Vampires.

“So… Handong-unnie,” Yoohyeon began hesitantly. She wasn’t sure if there was any better way to approach this topic.

Handong hummed her acknowledgment, so Yoohyeon continued. “Are you a vampire too?”

There was silence, and Yoohyeon felt tension rising in the vehicle. She stole a glance at Bora, but she wore a neutral expression. It didn’t look like Bora intended to get involved in their exchange. It was Handong’s choice of what information about herself she was willing to share with Yoohyeon, and Bora appeared to wish to respect that autonomy.

Another hum filled the space as Handong found her words.

“Yes, I have vampirism too,” she answered. The subtle correction piqued Yoohyeon’s interest more than the confirmation itself.

“Vampirism?” The term wasn’t foreign to the youngest. She was quite familiar with it actually, but the way Handong substituted the term as if there was a difference struck her as something worth exploring.

“How do I say this,” muttered Handong. Silence reigned within the car again as the performer struggled to format her explanation in her head.

“I am not a vampire,” Handong eventually clarified, “I am a human with vampirism. I am a human now just like I have always been human.”

Her tone was not easy to read, and Yoohyeon was worried that she might’ve offended her with the way she phrased her question. However, Yoohyeon remained quiet. She wanted to hear Handong’s explanation through to the end. She wanted to learn from it.

“I don’t agree with the idea of being called a vampire. I feel like it dehumanizes the people who suffer the consequences of vampirism. I feel like it leads people to believe that we have changed into some kind of creature other than human without the same emotions and memories we had before.” Handong’s fingers tapped against the armrest. Her words seemed to hold a deeper, more personal meaning than Yoohyeon could hope to understand on the surface.

“There are some people who feel empowered by calling themselves vampires or maybe they don’t find anything wrong with it, and I think that is great for them.” she paused to check with their driver if she was explaining this properly.

Bora vocalized her affirmation and Handong continued.

“But for myself and,” she sighed, “many others… It is a terrifying title that strips us of what little humanity we have left to cling to.”

The blonde’s words hung heavily in the air before slowly sinking into Yoohyeon. What Handong said made sense and it most certainly put a few things into perspective for her. She always considered vampires and humans as one, but it never occurred to her that this very separation in classification could still be harmful for some, at least.

Staring down at her nervously fiddling hands, Yoohyeon sat without responding. She was going through many different thoughts in her head. She was considering her past actions and words. Questions of whether or not she had been unknowingly insensitive flew through her mind at an alarming pace. Before she could properly examine her actions, she was already analyzing another scenario of her past.

The car soon turned a corner and slowed into a parking place. Yoohyeon looked up and realized that she didn’t recognize the location. Confused, she watched Bora turn off the vehicle and turn in her seat to look at Yoohyeon. Her face was serious. The entire situation began causing Yoohyeon to wring her hands more than she had been. Handong also turned back towards Yoohyeon.

“Talk to us, Yoohyeon-ah. What’s going on up there?” Bora tapped her own head. She was concerned for the anxious girl, that much was obvious. Yoohyeon wondered if that was because Bora had heard her heart rate pick up or if it was simply because of her unusual silence after Handong’s explanation. It could’ve been both. She wouldn’t know.

She realized that she really doesn’t know a lot. She still had so many questions. With the incident that happened with her employer and finding out that she was freezing and a mysterious Gahyeon figure had been waiting for her and that she probably has been having issues eating and she was kicked out before she could make sure she was okay and- what if Siyeon was a vampire? No, what if she had vampirism? That could be why she was cold, but what if that wasn’t the reason and she had a different condition contributing to it? She wished she went back to at least check on her. She didn’t even have Siyeon’s contact information to at least send a text. She should have gone back. What if that Gahyeon didn’t actually leave her alone? What if Gahyeon waited for Yoohyeon to leave and then broke into Siyeon’s dorm? Yoohyeon was such an idiot. If nothing else, she was Siyeon’s bodyguard and she failed at her job multiple times over already. Something could have happened to Siyeon. She needed to go back. She needed to go back right now-

“Yoohyeon-ah.”

Bora’s concerned voice cut through Yoohyeon’s mental panic. She placed her hand on Yoohyeon’s and took one into her own to stop the taller one from rubbing her knuckles to the bone.

“Look at me.”

It took immense effort for Yoohyeon to raise her gaze from the car floor to her friend. It felt like she was attempting to drag her head through a dense muck. Bora had unbuckled herself at some point and was partially crawled over the middle section. Meanwhile, Handong was no longer in the vehicle. Yoohyeon distractedly wondered where she went.

Bora tightened her hold on Yoohyeon’s hand, returning the other’s attention to her. Yoohyeon tried at first to meet Bora’s eyes, but her anxiety was still coursing through her system. All she could think about was getting back to Siyeon to check on her.

_Just to at least check on her_ , Yoohyeon tried to justify.

“Breathe.” Bora tried to gently calm her down. She allowed Yoohyeon’s grip to surpass the strength of her own.

Yoohyeon obeyed and inhaled shallowly and shakily. She tried again. She inhaled deeply, but still shakily. She held it, then released it slowly.

“Just like that. Take your time, Yoohyeon-ah.” Bora ran her thumb gently across the knuckles Yoohyeon nearly rubbed raw.

Yoohyeon barely registered the door beside her opening until Handong put a bottle of water in her field of vision.

“Drink some of this water,” Handong encouraged the woman and Yoohyeon nodded her acknowledgment.

She took the water bottle and retrieved her other hand from Bora. Once she did so, Bora temporarily left her to Handong’s supervision. They were being so patient and careful with her. It wasn’t the first time Bora had to handle an overtly anxious Yoohyeon before. They were used to taking care of each other in whatever range of emotions the other found themselves in.

Yoohyeon noticed tears blurring her vision. It wasn’t just Bora right now. Even Handong, who she had just met, was taking care of her. Why was everyone taking care of _her_ today? This was not how today was supposed to go. Even so, she couldn’t resist the combination of overwhelming appreciation and frustration welling up inside of herself.

Bora opened the other door beside her and sat next to her. Yoohyeon felt so small and incapable. She also felt incredibly guilty.

“I’m sorry,” whimpered Yoohyeon. She felt the unopened bottle crinkle in her hand and finally started to try opening it.

“What for?” Bora asked.

“I’ve been so insensitive towards you. I didn’t know that saying you were a vampire could have hurt you.”

“Please! It’s fine with me. I don’t mind being called a vampire. I’ve always called myself a vampire around you, you know?”

“But being called one is different than calling yourself one…”

“Listen, I said I don’t mind, didn’t I?”

“…Yes.”

“Then it’s no problem!”

Yoohyeon looked at Bora with an upturned gaze. Bora raised a brow before tapping Yoohyeon’s shoulder bit harder than she probably intended to.

“You’re doing it again Yoohyeon-ah. You’re overthinking things and making it a bigger deal than it is. You’re the most thoughtful and caring person I know.” She looked around Yoohyeon at Handong and mouthed a quick “Aside from you” to her. Handong rolled her eyes with a smirk.

“Besides, I’d let you know in a hurry if something bothered me. You know that.”

Yoohyeon slowly nodded, taking in her best friend’s words with great care. She knew that Bora was right, but she still couldn’t shake the deep seeded doubt that she was not being told the full truth, that she had never been told the full truth. She couldn’t shake the worry that she still had for her employer either.

“I don’t think that’s all. I can still see your gears going full force in there.”

Yoohyeon dropped her gaze and her shoulders hunched.

“I haven’t told you about what happened with my employer today, did I?”

Bora and Handong exchanged a look with one another, and Yoohyeon felt that similar seed of doubt grow even more.

So many dots were still left unconnected.

She still had so many questions left unanswered.

“Then let me tell you.”


	7. Chapter 6: Bleeding Crescent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siyeon's POV | TW // Blood

The soloist entered the company building with a renewed strength that she hadn’t experienced in a while. Her head was held high and she had a little spring in her steps. She greeted the receptionist-unnie with a bright smile and headed straight towards the dance practice room.

She had a performance for a music show in a few hours, so she decided to squeeze in an extra bit of practice before leaving for it. Siyeon had a particularly complicated choreography for one of the b-sides she was promoting for this comeback. She was determined to get it perfect. It’s what her fans deserved: nothing short of perfect.

After practicing for about forty minutes, Siyeon heard a knock on the door. She stopped her movements, ignoring the way her body still felt the pull of the music urging her to continue dancing. She wondered if it had already been an hour and a half already. There was no way that she had to leave now. She swore she hadn’t been practicing for _that_ long. She had a better sense of time than that, or at least she hoped she did.

Opening the door, a familiar head peeked in. Siyeon immediately tensed up. It was Yoohyeon. Siyeon hadn’t forgotten what happened yesterday evening. How could she? She treated her bodyguard unkindly when she was just trying to help. Yoohyeon was probably worried sick the rest of the night because of that incident. She looked like it too.

The girl gave a small bow to Siyeon whenever she entered, to which Siyeon reciprocated awkwardly. The closeness they had built yesterday seemed to have disappeared with the night. The soloist could hear Yoohyeon’s heart pounding at an abnormally quicker pace below the music. Concern and guilt swelled inside of her.

“Hey,” she forced out alongside a, hopefully, reassuring smile.

Yoohyeon gazed at her for a moment too long before responding.

“Hey.”

Putting up her finger to signal for Yoohyeon to wait, Siyeon scampered over to turn off the repeating music. She felt the taller one’s eyes on her the entire time. The nervous energy of the room felt suffocating, and Siyeon was determined to put an end to it. Yoohyeon likely had many questions, and Siyeon felt that the bodyguard needed to know the truth…

Even if that meant that Yoohyeon would avoid her as much as possible for the rest of her contract…

Like everyone else.

Once the music paused, Siyeon hesitated. She didn’t want to have to go through this process all over again, but in order for the workplace to run as smoothly as possible, it had to be done. She stared at the speaker unit, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

“Yooh-“

“Um-“

Abruptly, Siyeon turned around to face Yoohyeon. They had both started talking at the same time. Their awkward attempts at communicating brought even more tension into the situation.

“Uh, you go first,” relented Yoohyeon, bowing her head respectfully.

The singer watched how she shifted her weight from foot to foot. From the not-so-subtle fiddling of her hands clasped at her front and the extra effort to look everywhere but directly at Siyeon, it was easy tell just how nervous Yoohyeon was. Siyeon wished she could read her mind at this moment, but unfortunately, that ability was just outside of her capabilities.

“Can we sit down first?” The singer asked.

She made for the couch, and Yoohyeon followed just a pace or two slower behind therefore answering Siyeon’s question through her actions. They sat at the same distance they did yesterday morning, or perhaps now they were even further apart. Siyeon’s heart felt heavy at the change.

 _Of course_ , she slipped back into her habit of mentally berating herself, _I just had to go and ruin everything. I suppose it’s better that she already wants to avoid me._

“About what happened last night,” she started with a sigh. Yoohyeon finally looked at her, giving Siyeon her full attention.

“I wanted to apologize.”

Yoohyeon looked like she was about to protest, but Siyeon hastily continued before she could.

“And I need to tell you a few things that I should have before. Let me explain first, please.”

Yoohyeon settled back down to let her speak, and Siyeon turned her gaze to her hands in her lap. Siyeon clenched her hands into fists. This wasn’t her first time having to make this explanation, and it probably wouldn’t be her last.

“Gahyeon-ah, the person we ran into last night, she’s actually the chairman. Not many people know that, but it’s true”

Siyeon heard Yoohyeon’s breath stutter. She guessed that the information took her by surprise. Her eyes were probably opened wide right now. Siyeon chuckled bitterly; Yoohyeon was in for more of a surprise than that.

“She was there to check on me. You’ve probably guessed it by now, but I’m a vampire. Yes, a dirty, _wretched_ vampire. She was there to make sure that I was getting enough…” she faltered, “getting enough…”

Her muscles tensed up more as she tried to will herself to say it. She had been trying to hurry up her explanation before Yoohyeon could properly react, but that plan was swiftly going out the window. Except there were no windows in this room.

“Blood?” Yoohyeon offered quietly.

Siyeon’s muscles relaxed in her defeat.

“Yes…” She admitted.

She expected Yoohyeon to say something, do something, anything. Yet there was nothing. Her heartbeat had even calmed down now compared to before. Siyeon was used to outrage, fear, or even hatred, but not this. Not this mysterious silence and calmness. Siyeon braved a glance at Yoohyeon.

No, she wasn’t used to this. Not this look of patience and tenderness. Why was Yoohyeon taking this so well? Siyeon gulped and searched for something to say. It seemed like Yoohyeon was waiting for her to continue.

“I don’t want to drink… blood, you know? But I have to. I wish I didn’t, but I have to. Gahyeon-ah left a bottle of some for me in my dorm.”

Yoohyeon quirked a brow at the implication of Gahyeon being in her dorm uninvited, or perhaps it was due to the idea of Gahyeon happening to have a bottle of blood. Siyeon couldn’t blame her either way.

“But I know it’s not enough. It never is. I have to have live-drawn blood to actually survive.” Siyeon went on. She was dimly aware of the fact that she was revealing way more than she was meaning to, but she was desperate. She hadn’t had the opportunity to actually talk about her vampirism with anyone who would actually listen to her, yet here Yoohyeon was, giving her that opportunity. She knew she should end her explanation here. She shouldn’t go on, but she couldn’t help herself.

“It’ll last me for a bit longer, the bottled blood I mean, but soon I’ll go back into starvation. Live blood lasts me quite a while, but I don’t know if I can keep doing it. I’ve had to do terrible things, Yoohyeon-ah.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at the brunette, pleading. She didn’t know what she was pleading for. Maybe she was pleading for some sort of redemption, something to absolve her of the sins she had committed because of her vampirism.

“I’ve hurt people, people who were just trying to go home, people who were just living their lives like normal and yet I’ve traumatized them. I hurt them more than I could ever hope to repair. I can’t erase people’s memories like-“ Siyeon caught herself, her eyes widening as she realized what she had revealed and what she nearly revealed.

“I, I’m sorry. I’ve talked too much.” Her tears finally tumbled down her face. Her excitement for the music show was completely eradicated. In fact, she had completely forgotten about it. She started to get up deciding that she needed to get away. Yet arms wrapped around her, ruining her escape.

Gently, Yoohyeon pulled Siyeon towards her, and, against her better judgement, Siyeon let her. She tried to fight off the sobs, but she failed miserably. Yoohyeon was so warm against her still cool skin. Even though she felt warmer from the bottled blood, she was still cold. Seeking a solace within Yoohyeon’s arms and with her mind clouded by her self-hatred, Siyeon pressed her head against the crook of Yoohyeon’s neck. Yoohyeon rubbed her back soothingly, likely hoping to calm the internally suffering woman.

Yoohyeon softly spoke. “Did you know that my best friend is a vampire?”

Siyeon’s sniffling temporarily stopped, signaling that she heard her.

“I found that out whenever she punched a steel wall, right in front of me. She was so angry. We had been at a bar after training and these two dudes came up and tried hitting on us.”

A chuckled bubbled in Yoohyeon’s throat as she continued her story.

“We told them that we weren’t interested, but they kept coming onto us. One of them had grabbed me, so my friend dumped her drink on him and yelled some pretty nasty things at him. We ended up getting kicked out even though we were the ones who were getting harassed.” Yoohyeon’s hand went from rubbing Siyeon’s back to patting her head.

“So my friend decided to leave a dent in their wall. I think it was probably a good thing we were kicked out, or else she’d have probably left a dent in _them_.”

“They’d deserve it,” Siyeon muttered against Yoohyeon’s neck. Yoohyeon laughed at her response.

“That’s true, they totally did. But, anyways, my friend had been so upset because of how _I_ was being treated, not because of how _she_ was being treated. She might be a vampire, but she’s my friend first. She never once stopped caring about me, and I haven’t stopped caring about her. She has more decency and respect than most people I know, and I think that’s more important than whether or not she has vampirism. It is part of who she is, sure, but it doesn’t define her as a person. And… I think the same way about you.”

Siyeon shifted and her own arms found their way around Yoohyeon. She closed her eyes and hugged her tightly.

“Knowing that you have vampirism only means that I can understand you better now.”

Yoohyeon ran her hand back down to Siyeon’s back and began rubbing soothing circles against her again. Siyeon felt something encroaching into her mind.

_No…_

“I can’t say anything about what happened in your past, but it’s obvious to me that you aren’t a bad person, Unnie.” Yoohyeon went on, not seeming to mind Siyeon’s slightly tightening grip.

The sensation started to become intoxicating. She drew in a deep breath subconsciously.

_Oh no…_

It hit her even more powerfully now. Siyeon felt her fangs grow against her will, and if she was looking in the mirror, she’d know that her eyes have changed color too.

Yoohyeon’s scent was overpowering her senses. Her blood was flowing, so deliciously, right there, so close.

_I can’t. I can’t. Please, not when she’s been nothing but understanding and kind to me. I shouldn’t. I can’t take advantage of her like this. SIYEON!_

She bit down on her bottom lip again, this time nearly drawing her own blood. With each passing second, she was losing control. She loathed this part of herself, yet she couldn’t seem to bring herself to pull away. She needed to pull away. Her mind was screeching at her to pull away, yet her body just wouldn’t _listen_.

“You said you’ve been starving, right?”

Siyeon’s mind suddenly went blank. She didn’t respond. She couldn’t, not with Yoohyeon’s heartrate suddenly picking back up again, sending the blood that was originally flowing normally tantalizingly faster through her veins. She feared that if she were to open her mouth to respond that she’d find herself biting into Yoohyeon’s neck instead of vocalizing a proper response like a normal person.

Well, she wasn’t a “normal” person anymore, now was she?

The silence appeared to give Yoohyeon a few more moments to consider her next words.

“If,” the taller girl started with a hesitant gulp that drew Siyeon’s attention dangerously more onto Yoohyeon’s neck, “you need to, um, drink some, I can…”

Yoohyeon stopped rubbing Siyeon’s back. The stillness caused the tension to rise tenfold as Siyeon slowly started piecing together what the bodyguard was getting at.

“I-I can provide for you,” stuttered the increasingly nervous brunette. Her heart pounded loudly, almost like it was teasing Siyeon, enticing her to just sink in her fangs. Siyeon shut her eyes even more tightly.

“I mean, I’m a healthy adult and I do have some blood to spare. This way… you won’t have to hurt or traumatize anyone anymore. You can just come to me.”

“A-are you serious?” Siyeon somehow managed to ask. Her lips brushed against Yoohyeon’s neck, causing the latter to shudder.

Siyeon was trying her best to think rationally about this, she really was, but right now, all rationality was lost on her. Perhaps in a clearer state of mind, she’d have turned down Yoohyeon’s offer. She’d have fully thought this through and chosen against taking advantage of the woman who she had barely known for more than two days. This wasn’t what Siyeon wanted to happen by opening up to her. She just wanted to apologize to her and let her know what she actually was. It was all so that she would know that it was probably best to keep her distance from the soloist.

Right?

She wasn’t wanting _this_ , right?

She wasn’t. She was sure that she wasn’t. This wasn’t her intention, so how did it end up this way?

“Yeah, I’m serious,” Yoohyeon confirmed as she slightly tilted her head to give Siyeon free access.

_Wait, right now?_

Siyeon hesitated.

“It’s okay, Unnie. Go ahead.”

The younger woman was willingly submitting herself to her. There was no way that this was happening right now.

But it was.

Yoohyeon gave Siyeon her consent.

She was being serious.

Siyeon took in another breath and felt how her throat constricted greedily. She felt herself salivating. Her breath quickened as she fell further into the intoxicating scent of Yoohyeon’s blood. She noticed herself losing the last bit of control she had on herself as she gingerly licked the side of Yoohyeon’s neck. It was meant to make the bite feel less painful, but she was unsure if it actually worked.

Her tears came back, but she couldn’t figure out the reason this time.

“I’m so… so sorry,” she apologized once more before finally sinking in her fangs.

Yoohyeon gasped at the initial puncture, pressing herself more against Siyeon when her body flinched instinctively. Siyeon’s now red eyes glowed vibrantly as she began sucking up Yoohyeon’s surprisingly incredibly delicious blood. Siyeon realized that Yoohyeon’s blood was the most delectable she had ever consumed.

Maybe it was because it was not filled with panic and fear. Maybe it was because Siyeon wasn’t being battered by weakly flailing arms as the person tried to escape. Maybe it was because Siyeon wasn’t hating herself with every swallow for assaulting an unknowing victim. Maybe it was because Yoohyeon was holding her tightly and reassuringly, willing giving herself up for the soloist despite barely knowing her.

Siyeon kept herself acutely aware of how Yoohyeon was reacting. She at least wanted to make sure that this experience was as painless as possible for her. Yoohyeon’s hands were bunching up Siyeon’s gray hoodie in her tight grasp, and she was still pressed against Siyeon’s body. She had sighed out after the gasp, seeming to be in a similar state of intoxication.

Siyeon knew that, in an ideal scenario, the person being bitten would feel a similar pleasure as her, but she had never had that a so-called “ideal scenario” happen before. She couldn’t remember how these “ideal scenarios” occur. She felt she was told once before, but she couldn’t even remember who told her. She couldn’t really remember anything right now. No, the only person Siyeon could focus on right now was the brunette clinging onto her as Siyeon hungrily devoured blood from her.

She felt a surge of power and strength reigniting inside of her, easily surpassing the strength she _thought_ she had regained from the bottle. Warmth flooded through her veins and it almost felt like she was burning up. Her hoodie suddenly felt like a furnace, yet she wanted more. She wanted so much more. It felt heavenly.

“Siyeon…unnie,” Yoohyeon all but moaned out and Siyeon immediately stopped.

She felt her senses rush back into her as she became no longer blinded by her bloodlust. The soloist removed her fangs from Yoohyeon’s neck, careful not to accidentally prick her again. Yoohyeon then relaxed, or more appropriately, collapsed against her breathing heavily. She became concerned for the woman, afraid that she may have drank too much from her.

Siyeon licked back over the wound to both clean up the area and to soothe the soreness. Yoohyeon’s breath hitched and she grasped the back of Siyeon’s hoodie again before relaxing once more. Siyeon watched as the wound slowly began healing itself, impressed with how her vampirism could both damage and heal someone. It was such a paradox.

“Are you okay?” She asked in a small voice, now frightened by what she had just done.

Yoohyeon took a moment to catch her breath.

“Yeah,” she breathed out in little more than a sigh. She hummed in a way that Siyeon couldn’t really decipher and brought her arms back up to hug Siyeon again.

“You’re warm,” Yoohyeon noted with a hint of surprise. She pulled slightly away from Siyeon and met her eyes inquisitively. Siyeon couldn’t hold her stare.

Yes, she was warm.

But she wondered how much of that warmth was from her burning inside from the indescribable amount of guilt and shame she felt. It was overflowing within her, like molten rock scorching her soul.

_What did I just do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you are enjoying this so far.  
> I had to go back to edit the relationship tags a bit. I didn't realize that they were still reflective of my original plans for the story instead of my current plans until now. Whoops! That's fixed now.  
> Oh, and come find me on Twitter @TinyClover3 if you'd like :)  
> Remember to stay hydrated everyone!


	8. Chapter 7: Hidden Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV

The sinfully pleasant sensation coursing through Yoohyeon estranged her mind from her body. She had her hands on Siyeon’s arms, holding onto her just as much for her own stability as it was for the soloist. Focusing her gaze on the singer, Yoohyeon tried her best to regain proper cognitive function. Her senses were alert and every nerve felt as though it was pulling her towards the woman. It was like her body was craving more of her. Her touch, her fangs, her voice, anything. The silence was near unbearable.

The bodyguard couldn’t put her thoughts together fast enough to operate at her regular cognitive capacity. Something was blocking her, trapping her mind in a haze, a beautiful haze. Ah, it was a blissful haze to be in. She tried to shake it off, but to no avail. At least it was fading.

She had a few guesses as to why this was happening, but none of that was important right now. The girl she was holding was looking even paler than before she drank from her. Siyeon looked even more lost, even more broken, like a line was crossed that shouldn’t have been. Even though she was warm underneath Yoohyeon’s fingertips, Yoohyeon could still sense the emptiness that she must be feeling right now.

Clarity began to seep back into the brunette, and that’s when it hit her. This was the same Siyeon that had just told her that she didn’t want to drink blood. This was the same Siyeon that had just told her that she didn’t know if she could keep hurting people like this. This was still the same Siyeon that broke down in her arms because she regretted everything she has had to do just to stay alive.

And that very Siyeon has just drank Yoohyeon’s blood.

“Oh, Siyeon-unnie…” She pulled the woman to her, her voice breaking. She was thankful that Siyeon didn’t resist, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

Siyeon’s head rested against her chest, just above her heart. The singer didn’t even move, not even to lift her arms. Yoohyeon’s heart ached for her. She held her tighter and carded a hand through Siyeon’s dark hair. By now, the tingling sensation finally ran out of her system.

“You’re going to be okay,” whispered the brunette reassuringly. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

She repeated her words of reassurance like some sort of mantra until Siyeon finally stirred. She grasped the fabric of her suit’s jacket and pressed her forehead harder against Yoohyeon’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry Yoohyeon-ah. I’m-“

Yoohyeon interjected by pulling slightly away.

“No, no, Siyeon-unnie. I told you to do it, didn’t I? Hey,” she lifted Siyeon’s head gently with a finger, “look at me.”

Siyeon gazed up at her pitifully with new tears already glazing her eyes. She didn’t look back down.

“I gave you my permission, right?”

Siyeon hesitated before nodding slightly. She seemed as though she were trying to read where Yoohyeon was going with this.

“And I didn’t run away or protest when you, uh, bit me, right?”

Siyeon nodded again.

“And I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Siyeon took in a deep breath and nodded once more. Yoohyeon smiled. It was the kind of smile where her eyes crinkled, and her gums showed.

“Then everything’s fine!” She announced as she straightened her posture to emphasize the notion.

Yoohyeon’s smile shrank as she grew more serious. She made herself level to Siyeon, gazing at her intently. She returned her hand from Siyeon’s chin to her shoulder.

“I’m okay, Unnie. I really am. Okay?”

She held Siyeon’s still glowing red gaze before Siyeon glanced away nervously, unsure.

“Repeat after me,” Yoohyeon insisted.

Siyeon looked back at her.

“Yoohyeon-ah is okay. I did not hurt her. I am okay.”

Siyeon’s eyebrows furrowed, and Yoohyeon tutted.

“Nah-uh, repeat what I just said, Unnie. You can do it.”

There was a moment as Siyeon swallowed. Her grasp on Yoohyeon’s jacket tightened.

“Yoohyeon-ah is okay. I… I didn’t hurt her, and I’m,” Siyeon paused to take in another breath. Her eyes dimmed back into the deep brown Yoohyeon met her with.

“And I’m okay,” sighed the soloist, making Yoohyeon grin.

“There you go,” the taller girl cooed as she hugged Siyeon once again reassuringly. She felt how Siyeon relaxed against her and nuzzled against her neck. It tickled a little.

“Thank you,” Siyeon breathed out as she hugged Yoohyeon in return. Yoohyeon couldn’t help the chuckle.

“I’m your bodyguard. It’s what I’m here for. I have to make sure you’re taken care of, in more ways than one. We don’t need you thirsting after your fans.”

“You make it sound dirty,” Siyeon commented against her neck.

“What?!” Yoohyeon flushed and playfully shoved Siyeon back. She quickly looked away from the singer, deciding that the wooden floor was a much better thing to stare at.

“You know what I meant!”

Siyeon laughed and it was like music to Yoohyeon’s ears. It lit up the entire dance room more than the fluorescent lights that normally illuminated the space. It was beautiful, and Yoohyeon thought that she wouldn’t mind hearing that every day. She looked back at Siyeon with a relaxed grin. It was such a relief.

“You’re not just my bodyguard, Yoohyeon-ah.” Siyeon suddenly corrected. Yoohyeon curiously tilted her head. “You’re my friend too.”

Yoohyeon’s grin widened, and she felt a warmth fill her up happily.

“Don’t you have practice to get back to, young lady?”

“Hey! I’m older than you!” Siyeon whined, but she got up anyways. Her smile reflected Yoohyeon’s wonderfully, and Siyeon gave her a wink just before heading towards the speaker unit.

The bodyguard felt her heart tug her towards the other woman.

Maybe the effect of Siyeon’s bite hadn’t completely worn off yet.

Or maybe it was something else.

* * *

“You really don’t have to come with me, Unnie. You just had a performance,” reminded Yoohyeon as the two traveled down the staircase.

“I know, but I wanted to,” Siyeon responded matter-of-factly.

They were on their way down to the basement of the Insomnia Entertainment Company building. They had rushed here immediately after Siyeon’s music show performance. It had run late due to some technical errors and safety concerns that were thankfully brought to the attention of the negligent staff members meandering the halls on their phones by the idols about to perform. Yoohyeon wondered how they still had their job when they were so blatantly doing poorly at it.

When Yoohyeon mentioned her desire to go watch the Nightmare Musical Theater Troupe practice tonight, Siyeon had been surprisingly eager to join her. It made Yoohyeon ponder if she was hoping to see Handong or if she was just wanting to make the incident that happened this morning up to her. It could be both.

Yoohyeon held open the basement door for Siyeon, flashing her a smile as she passed. Siyeon reciprocated it easily. Ever since this morning, Siyeon seemed much more filled with life. She was brimming with energy in a way that only made her impossibly more cute and charming. Her performance today nearly knocked Yoohyeon off of her feet with how breathtakingly stunning it was. Her voice rang beautifully and clearly over the backing track, and her movements were so impactful that if Yoohyeon hadn’t been watching her practice just a couple hours before, she would’ve thought that it was all fake. She almost forgot that she was employed to the singer and not just a hardcore fan on the sidelines cheering on their favorite idol.

Once the performance was over, Siyeon had giddily bounced over to Yoohyeon while asking the bodyguard how she did. Yoohyeon doesn’t quite remember what she said in response. All she could remember was dumbly staring at her in awe. She hoped that she said something coherent and not just a bunch of random noises.

_God, what if I accidentally barked?_

She internally cringed at the thought. If she did, she didn’t think Siyeon would still look be looking at her the same way. She concluded, hopefully, that she didn’t bark.

Yoohyeon nodded to herself before following Siyeon into the basement. It didn’t look any different from any other floor of the building. They stopped at the double doors at the end of one of the halls, and Siyeon hesitated.

Yoohyeon watched how Siyeon placed her hand on the handle and just stood there. Siyeon’s chest expanded with a deep inhale then quickly deflated with a rough exhale. Noticing that she was nervous, Yoohyeon took her by the arm before she could open the door.

“Wait a second Siyeon-unnie,” halted Yoohyeon. The bodyguard guided Siyeon little ways from the doors.

“Are you okay?” Yoohyeon asked. Worry as clear as day showed on her face. When she slid her hands down to take Siyeon’s, Siyeon slipped one of her hands over to the top of Yoohyeon’s and began pinching at the skin. It happened so naturally that Yoohyeon didn’t even pay it any attention.

Siyeon huffed, “Yeah, I just… I haven’t seen someone who is a part of the troupe in a while. I’m worried about how she might react.” The shorter girl glanced at the door anxiously.

“Is it Handong-unnie?” Yoohyeon dared to question, and Siyeon’s attention snapped back to Yoohyeon immediately. Surprise is the only word that could describe her expression.

“How did you know?”

“Ah.” Yoohyeon ran her fingers over Siyeon’s knuckles with the hand that was holding Siyeon’s. Her other hand came to the back of her own neck as she looked away from the soloist. “I may have seen her name show up on your message notifications yesterday. She’s my best friend’s girlfriend.”

“I see.”

“If it helps, she seems to want to see you too, Unnie.”

Siyeon sighed and removed her hands from Yoohyeon’s. Yoohyeon was unsure if that was being helpful.

“Okay, come on. Let’s go before they start.” Siyeon jerked her head in the direction of the doors. She paused once more before entering.

“Thank you, Yoohyeon-ah,” she said before pulling open the door.

Cool air blasted across Yoohyeon’s skin from the room’s own air conditioning. It was dimly lit with the majority of the lights revealing a stage at the far end of the room. Multiple bodies were roaming about the location. Many of them wore an assortment of masks. Some displayed colorful depictions of demons and angels alike. Some had beautifully intricate designs painted across them that seemed to tell a story all on their own. Some covered only half of their face while most completely obscured their face. Some of the masks were pushed to the side while others were being held as the troupe members intermingled before practice began.

She scanned the room, intrigued by the concept. Various props were scattered about in a way that embodied the phrase of there being a “method to madness.” On stage, a couple members were doing a run through of what seemed to be their parts while the lighting crew were tested out their fixtures.

Everything within this space was in motion. It wasn’t loud, but it definitely wasn’t quiet either. There was a constant chatter with the occasional swell in volume as a group got particularly excited in their conversation. Members of the troupe were expertly weaving in between props as they meandered. No one seemed to even notice the newcomers’ presence.

Yoohyeon glanced at Siyeon who was doing her own scanning of the room. She got on her tippy-toes a couple of times to peer over someone’s head. It was obvious that she was looking for something, or rather, someone.

A familiar laughter reached Yoohyeon’s ears above the rest. There was no mistaking that cackle of a laugh. Yoohyeon swiveled her attention to the source and sure enough, there stood Bora laughing like her life depended on it. Yoohyeon saw her smack the arm of the taller woman standing next to her. The woman had long blonde hair and a smile that rivaled the brightness of the sun. Her own sweet laughter mixed in with Bora’s chaotic one; both were just as infectious.

Shaking her head in amusement across from them stood another blonde figure. She wore a mask of her own, simple yet beautiful. It was white but jeweled and textured. It strategically highlighted only the features it wished to draw attention to. Yoohyeon assumed this to be Handong.

“Unnie,” alerted Yoohyeon as she tapped Siyeon’s shoulder. “I found her. Follow me.”

Yoohyeon led the way over to the trio, trusting Siyeon to follow her. She didn’t notice the way Siyeon’s steps became less confident nor how her pace slowed immensely until after Yoohyeon looked back for her once arriving. The singer’s eyes were darting between the two blondes.

Before Yoohyeon could do anything about it, a body crashed into hers. Admittedly, she should’ve known better than to ever turn her back on Bora. She promptly yelped and swung her body back around to greet her friend. It was all in effort not to end up on the floor from Bora running her over like a small bus.

“Yoohyeon-ah! So it _was_ you!” Screeched the petite woman in as much excitement as there was surprise. “You made it right on time!”

Removing herself from the rough and maybe a little too loving of an embrace that Bora was giving her, Yoohyeon let out a nervous laugh. She bowed her head respectfully to the two other women, acknowledging their presence in the little amount of time Bora allowed her.

“Yeah, we came here right after the… show…” Yoohyeon’s voice trailed off as she glanced behind herself only to see Siyeon slipping out through the double doors.

“Um, hold on, I need to go check on-“ Yoohyeon had started to say as she moved to make her way to the exit. She was abruptly interrupted by Bora’s strong grip on her wrist yanking her down towards her. Yoohyeon gasped in shock and the two blondes took a cautious step towards the two. Bora sniffed at Yoohyeon’s neck and immediately tightened her grip, forcing Yoohyeon to stay in place.

“Bora-yah, what are you-?” The taller blonde began to inquire before being cut off by Bora’s low, rumbling voice.

“Who did this to you?” She growled out, every syllable dripping with a protectiveness that vowed to take revenge on whoever dared to touch Yoohyeon.

“Unnie?”

“ _Who. Did. This. To. You_?”

Bora’s eyes burned a fierce purple, revealing a barely tempered wrath that sought only vengence.

Bora was livid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy reading it!  
> Make sure to take breaks whenever you need and to breathe.  
> Also, you can come find me on Twitter @TinyClover3 if you'd like :D


	9. Chapter 8: Losing Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Violence ?

Something shifted in Yoohyeon.

Her eyes narrowed as she straightened her back. She held Bora’s fiery purple eyes with nerves of steel that she didn’t know she possessed. Any other day, any other time, she might’ve been frightened by her.

She hadn’t expected Bora to know that anything had happened, but she supposed she should’ve known better. This was Bora, the woman who was so fiercely protective of her to the point that Yoohyeon had to give her a whole essay on why she was going to the store during a vampire feeding time and yet still insisted on going with her. Of course she figured it out. Why wouldn’t she?

But for once, Yoohyeon wished she didn’t.

If only the answer were any other person…

“Let go of me,” Yoohyeon requested coolly.

“What? Answer me!”

“You’re hurting me.”

Bora raised a brow, disbelief suddenly coloring her features. She let go of Yoohyeon’s wrist with a dramatic toss.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Bora’s voice went up in volume in her frustration, and her voice cracked with obvious hurt.

Yoohyeon wavered. Her gaze shifted away from her best friend’s and a hitched breath escaped her before she could control it. She didn’t want to hide anything from Bora, but now wasn’t the time. The longer she stayed here, the further away Siyeon went. The taller girl took a step back. She didn’t miss the slight gasp that tumbled past Bora’s lips.

“I need to go.”

She turned and took off at a brisk pace towards the exit. She needed to hurry.

“KIM YOOHYE-!”

“ _KIM_ _BORA!_ ”

A stern voice somehow sliced through Bora’s screech, immediately silencing the woman. It wasn’t angry or even all that loud, yet it was firm and commanding. Yoohyeon took the moment to glance back at the trio before disappearing out the double doors. The unmasked blonde was holding onto a struggling Bora.

“Minji-yah?” Yoohyeon heard Bora’s confused and desperate tone over the chatter that didn’t even seem fazed by the incident. It was like these kinds of exclamations were expected and therefore largely ignored. Well, it was musical theater after all.

Yoohyeon just now realized that the taller blonde was, in fact, Bora’s employer. She hesitated just a bit longer before leaving. Her curiosity distracted her more than she wanted to admit.

“Look into my eyes. Right here. Look! You have to calm down.”

Bora’s struggling slowly ceased as the explosive woman obeyed Minji’s command. It almost appeared as though she was being lulled into a trance. It was kind of unsettling for Yoohyeon to keep watching, like she was witnessing something she wasn’t supposed to see.

Just before she took the last committal step outside, she found herself locking eyes with Handong. Although it was hard to see her eyes from behind the mask, there was an obvious connection being made. However, it was only for a split second before Handong joined Minji in pacifying Bora. Yoohyeon had no idea what the woman might’ve been trying to convey to her.

She exited the room. Bora was going to be fine. Yoohyeon had to blindly put her faith in the two other women to take care of her volatile friend. Right now, Yoohyeon had a much different agenda on her mind. As much as she wished to soothe Bora’s worries and to tell her all about what happened this morning, she couldn’t, not yet anyways. Yoohyeon knew that not only did Bora need to calm down her protective killer-instincts first, but that she also needed to check on Siyeon. She did not want an incident like last night to happen all over again.

She could barely sleep. Her worry over the soloist had been eating away at her as she regretted every passing hour she spent not going back to check on her. Although Handong and Bora had done their best to rationalize the situation with her, it was painfully obvious that they were withholding a plethora of information from her. She couldn’t blame them. It was likely not their place to share any of that information, yet the very issue of _knowing_ that _something_ else was going on that she didn’t know about consumed her whole. Her mind was going near crazy with her imagination taking every unknown factor to the darkest recesses of possibilities. The things that she couldn’t help but to imagine… She didn’t know that her thoughts could get so dark and terrifying. She even got back up a couple of times with the intention to go back, yet she talked herself out of it each time.

Not this time. Yoohyeon wasn’t going to talk herself out of checking on Siyeon this time. She picked up her pace, keeping an eye out for any sign of the dark-haired soloist. She was no longer in the hall leading up to the stage room. Yoohyeon couldn’t imagine Siyeon going into of any of the other rooms, except maybe the restroom

Peeking her head into the nearest restroom, Yoohyeon called out Siyeon’s name. After receiving a stranger’s voice vocalizing some confusion in response, Yoohyeon quickly apologized and returned to her search. She felt hopelessness starting to settle in her chest.

_Where is she?_ She wondered desperately as she found herself at the basement stairs again.

_Did she already leave?_

With that in mind, Yoohyeon pulled open the stairway door and hurried up to the ground floor. She knew that she was probably on a wild goose chase, but the bodyguard also knew that she wouldn’t be able to rest easy otherwise. Stubbornly, she pushed on, nearly slipping on some of the steps in her haste.

All she could think about was making sure that Siyeon was okay. She was concerned. Something must have set Siyeon off to have her turning tail and fleeing back out of the room despite the courage she had already gathered to enter in the first place.

_Was it Bora? Wait, no, she wasn’t even looking at her. Was it Minji-ssi?_

Yoohyeon huffed as she reached the ground floor. She wasn’t particularly out of breath but more exasperated. She didn’t know enough about whatever complicated relationship Siyeon had with these individuals nor why no one was telling her anything. For things that were supposedly none of her business, they felt like they were starting to _become_ her business, and she’d rather be well informed before that happened.

She yanked open the door and jogged into the lobby. Her urgency was clear to anyone who may be looking at her. Scanning the area, she saw no sign of the singer she sought. She loosened the tie on her suit and turned her attention to the receptionist-unnie that was gazing at her curiously. The woman seemed tired at her post, probably waiting for the clock to turn to that fateful hour in which she could finish her shift and hurry home.

“Unnie, have you seen Siyeon-unnie?”

The woman pointed towards to the glass doors leading outside.

“She just left not too long ago.”

“Great,” Yoohyeon took a couple of strides towards the exit before tossing her gratitude over her shoulder, “thank you so much!”

“Be careful!” Shouted the receptionist-unnie in amusement after Yoohyeon promptly slammed her body into the door before it actually opened. Yoohyeon didn’t have enough attention on herself nor the time to get embarrassed. A dull ache pulsed in shoulder.

She stepped outside. Her heart rate picked up as she began becoming more and more anxious about finding Siyeon. She already committed this much to catching up to her, so she already knew that if she failed then she wasn’t only going to be worried anymore. She’d probably hate herself even more in her frustration for once again leaving Siyeon alone and vulnerable. Of course, Yoohyeon knew that Siyeon could take care of herself. There was no reason that Siyeon couldn’t work through her own emotions. The fact of the matter was, Siyeon didn’t need her. Yoohyeon knew that.

But they were friends now, and Yoohyeon wanted to be there for her regardless.

_“You’re not just my bodyguard, Yoohyeon-ah. You’re my friend too.”_

Siyeon’s voice played again in Yoohyeon’s head. Her desire to catch up to Siyeon only grew exponentially greater. She still didn’t see any sign of Siyeon after exiting the company building and she didn’t spot her waiting by the roadside for a ride. It was as if Siyeon had just vanished into thin air. That wouldn’t be too surprising at this point.

It occurred to Yoohyeon for a moment that maybe Siyeon didn’t want to be caught up to. She stubbornly shoved that thought to the side. If that were the case, then what was she trying so hard for? She went through the list of places Siyeon could have went to.

_The garage._ She changed course. Siyeon might have decided to enlist one of the staff to take her home.

Yoohyeon cut through one of the alleyways to reach the garage faster. It wasn’t particularly dark, yet the concrete walls felt as though they were closing in on her. She gulped nervously as she hastily passed through it. The bodyguard had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched replace the hopelessness in her chest. She glanced over her shoulder as her paranoia spiked. She picked up her pace even more, just shy of a full run, all while convincing herself that this was only because she wanted to find Siyeon.

There was something she was forgetting, but what was it? What was the topic?

Her breath started to become strained, but she pushed on. She deftly avoided the broken roadblock equipment and left the alleyway. Now in the open, she felt the uneasiness leave her. She glanced back at the alleyway once more before continuing onwards in a jog. The brunette turned the corner and made her way to the garage.

Upon arriving, she already had the dreadful feeling that Siyeon was not there. Her heart sunk more and more as she desperately searched for the singer to no avail. She was so desperate that she even abandoned her pride to shout out for her.

“Siyeon-unnie?” called Yoohyeon, not even flinching at the way her voice echoed aimlessly throughout the garage.

_I really need to get her contact information_ , she thought frustratedly.

Her voice landed, not ever reaching its intended target. Though surrounded by various vehicles and objects that filled the garage nearly to its capacity despite the hour, it felt so empty. _She_ felt so empty, so lost.

“What am I even doing?” She muttered defeatedly to herself. She brought a hand to her face and rubbed her temples with her ring finger and thumb. A headache was starting to form, probably from dehydration.

She turned to leave. Her steps were dragging slightly across the concrete and her eyes focused more on the ground than the environment around her. She failed to find Siyeon. All she could hope for now was that the soloist would be okay on her own. She probably would be, why wouldn’t she? It’s not like she wanted her to be unwell. That was the opposite of her intentions.

Retracing her steps, she was led back to the alleyway. She sighed heavily and decided that she’d just avoid the alleyway altogether. It was a bad idea to go through strange, potentially dangerous crevices between buildings alone, especially at night. Yeah, she’d just take the long way back.

Except, she saw a silhouette passing by the alleyway at the opposite end.

She took off towards them. Perhaps she was just desperate or maybe she was becoming a bit delusional. She surprised even herself as she vaulted effortlessly over the road-sign. Filled with hope and determination, she raised her voice and yelled out louder than she really intended to.

“Siyeon-unnie! Hey!”

The figure at the opening merely glanced quizzically at Yoohyeon before continuing on their way out of line of sight. Yoohyeon slowed her pace back down to a walk before just completely stopping in disappointment. It wasn’t Siyeon.

She got excited for no reason.

Two figures turn the corner into the alleyway.

She didn’t recognize either of them.

The taller one ran a hand through his messy hair with a smirk plastered on his face. He slid the phone he had in his hand into his back pant pocket.

“Well, well, look at what we have here,” he mocked, eyeing her up and down. Yoohyeon immediately scowled. That look was nowhere near appropriate.

The other had a lopsided smile as he shook his dyed blonde bangs. It wasn’t a flattering look on him, but who was Yoohyeon to judge. She could only judge the way he was eyeing her the same way the taller one was.

“Oh, I’m looking alright. What kind of idiot would be in a place like this all alone, huh? She’s just asking for it, isn’t she?”

“I’m right here, you know? You can ask me yourself,” Yoohyeon retorted. Her tone was cold and sarcastic. She straightened her postures and subtly slid her foot back to put herself in a more defensive position.

The two men ignored her, not that she expected them to listen anyways. She wasn’t going to turn her back on them, and she wasn’t going to try pushing past them. They didn’t seem like they intended to let her do either of those actions anyways.

“You think she’ll be a good girl for us?”

“Nah, look at her. She probably thinks she’s hot stuff.”

“Even better. Let’s get her blood pumping,” purred the taller individual. His eyes flashed a telling red, and his smirk widened to reveal what was undeniably fangs.

_Oh_.

Yoohyeon reacted more internally than externally, she wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

_That’s what I was forgetting_ …

Yoohyeon tried her best to keep her heart rate calm.

“Unfortunately for you two,” her expression was unamused, “I have no intention on living up to the cliché of people getting murdered in an alleyway.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot, readying herself for the inevitable.

The two men stopped their approach temporarily to glance at one another. They, on the other hand, were very amused.

“Oh no, sweetheart,” Yoohyeon cringed at his words, “we aren’t going to murder you. We’ll just make sure you wish we did.”

“That’s right, we’re going to take real good care of you.”

Yoohyeon raised a brow. The shorter male stalked up to her, apparently drunk off the illusion of his own power.

“You better stop right there,” she warned icily. There was a slight growl in her voice.

“Poor baby, are you scared? You don’t need to put up a tough front-.”

The male suddenly reeled back, his hands going up to his throat as he choked violently.

“What the hell?!” His partner exclaimed in shock, grabbing his friend as he backed up into him, still struggling to regain his breath.

Yoohyeon lowered the hand that she had just used to strike the male in his Adam’s apple. Her usual puppy-like eyes were narrowed into a threatening glare.

“Try that again and you’ll be choking on more than just your words.”

_It’s feeding time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking around this long! I'm not sure if I will be posting chapter 9 as quickly as I have these previous chapters. I really want to make sure I write it properly.
> 
> In the meantime, feel free to come by my twitter @TinyClover3 !  
> I hope to become a bit more engaging over there! I'm pretty new to all of this, but I'm giving it a shot :D


	10. Chapter 9: Deceptive Eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV | TW // Violence and Blood

To say that Yoohyeon was terrified for her life would be an understatement, but by whatever god or gods are out there, she was not going to go down without fighting for every last second of it. Maybe she was a warrior in her past life, fighting valiantly in battle while knowing full well that she was sent out there to die on that battlefield for her home. Hopefully, the Valkyries will have mercy on her and send her somewhere nicer than wherever this place was for her next life, if there was such a thing as a next life.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t a warrior in her past life, but the sentiment was a nice one to consider when she was being glared at by two extremely pissed off vampires.

Could anyone blame her? What else was she going to think about? Running away? Hah! As if! She was no coward!

…

Okay…

Maybe she should think about that.

What were the chances of her actually surviving this encounter? It was two against one - two vampires with whatever enhancements their vampirism bestowed upon them versus your everyday human that happened to train a little bit in defensive techniques.

Yeah… the chances weren’t looking very high.

“You…!” The shorter male rasped out after catching his breath. He clenched his fist in rage and bared his fangs at her. If this weren’t a serious situation where Yoohyeon’s life was in danger, she probably would’ve found his actions to be incredibly ridiculous to observe.

He lunged towards her, swinging his arm wide to beat down on the side of her head. His slowness surprised Yoohyeon, but the bodyguard knew better than to just stereotypically expect all vampires to have superhuman speed. She also knew better than to expect that she could take the blow. The image of Bora denting a steel wall flashed in her memory.

Yoohyeon used his slowness and predictability against him. She swiftly ducked underneath his arm and sent the heel of her palm upwards, clocking him right in his jaw. The momentum forced his head violently backwards, and she felt his jaw shift awkwardly under her palm. Before he was able to stumble more than a step backwards, Yoohyeon sent her elbow into his ribs just below his arm for good measure. It landed successfully, earning a slight thud from the impact.

The shorter individual howled in pain, now tumbling downwards at a more rapid pace. He collapsed onto the concrete. His eyes were closed tightly as he continued to wince from the pain coursing through his system. A string of expletives filled the air, but Yoohyeon paid no attention to it.

Not once was she going to let her guard down. She only considered herself lucky for how this first encounter went. There was no way they were going to let her go peacefully now. She has sealed her fate.

The taller male spit onto the ground after a bemused huff. She wasn’t sure if he was just disappointed in his friend for having his butt handed to him by what they originally considered easy prey or if he was just unimpressed with her ability to protect herself or if it was both.

He rolled his shoulders. The flash of his red eyes was the only warning Yoohyeon received before he was suddenly towering over her, barely an armlength away. His hands were already clasped around the collar of her dress shirt. An absolutely despicable grin marked his features and he pulled her closer to him. His breath had the horrid stench of his last meal mingling with the telltale iron of blood. Yoohyeon hoped that it wasn’t the blood of another victim sucked dry without any regard for their person, but the likelihood of her hope being met seemed very low at this moment.

“I _was_ joking before about having you wish you weren’t kept alive, but now I’m going to make sure you regret ever being born, _sweetheart_ ,” hissed the male, close to her ear.

Yoohyeon felt herself get hoisted slightly off the ground.

“You make really awful jokes then,” she growled back and sent her shin directly to his crotch area. When it comes to self-defense, all bets are off.

He let out a high-pitched yelp, and his knees buckled. It caused Yoohyeon to be brought back down to the ground, but unlike Yoohyeon had hoped, he didn’t let go of her. No, his grip on her only tightened. Because of this, her collar was nearly choking her and the suit felt even more suffocating to be in.

_Crap_.

She was only able to notice the other male getting back up before she was being practically launched backwards. The force of the shove was stronger than she anticipated, and the moment her back slammed into the already broken roadblock behind her came sooner than she expected. A strangled gasp managed to escape her lips as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. She could’ve sworn she saw stars for a second there. Searing pain radiated through her, and her mouth hung open in a silent scream of pain.

Maybe she should’ve tried to run away.

Her back protested relentlessly while her shoulders screeched in their own chorus of agony as she attempted to shift herself out of the debris of the roadblock. A stinging at her side caused her to crumple slightly and halt her movements. One of the broken metal bars had nicked her. A large amount of relief washed over her when she acknowledged that it was just a scratch, albeit a bit deeper than she’d like. That bar could’ve easily pierced her in a much more lethal way.

However, that relief was short lived as the individual stalked up to her. Her heart was racing now, that was for sure. Adrenaline pulsed through her like wildfire to mask the burn of her injuries. He crouched in front her with a chuckle. He uncharacteristically displayed a gentleness as he took her hair tie out. He tossed it aside.

“Let loose would you?” He asked in ridicule before gripping Yoohyeon’s hair and yanking her head backwards roughly.

Yoohyeon hissed in response and glared at him challengingly. Her hand closed around one of the bars behind her that was nearly broken off from her crash into it. She could feel how it could be conveniently torn off at a moment’s notice by the way it swayed in her grasp.

“Ah, you still have a fire in your eyes don’t ya? I like that.” He licked his lips. “You know, if I wasn’t gonna suck you dry, I might have dated you.” Unspeakable disgust filled Yoohyeon.

_In your dreams, jerk._

She kicked out her foot at his left ankle and caught him off guard. His grip on her hair slipped as he lost balance and scrambled to catch himself. His elbow slammed onto the ground with a sickening thump.

A low rumble of fury met Yoohyeon’s ears before her own screech of hurt replaced it.

Her vision blurred with tears as her cheek began swelling up from the punch. She felt a trickle of blood beginning to seep out of her nostril. Her gaze came to focus on the wall next to her as her head had been forcefully turned by the blow. The, now infuriated, taller male angrily snatched her chin to make her look at him.

His resentful red eyes bore into her defiant brown ones, yet all Yoohyeon could think about in that moment was Siyeon’s own careful yet piercing red eyes that continuously checked her over to make sure that she wasn’t hurt. All she could think about was Bora’s fiery purple gaze that held nothing but love and protectiveness for her. In this moment that likely solidified her trip to the grave, Yoohyeon found peace. She found peace in knowing that not all people with vampirism were like this. She found peace in knowing that she was able to care about and be cared about by people despite their differing conditions. She found peace in knowing that she put up a good fight, and that these sad excuses of men were definitely not going to same place as her when they were finally put to rest. There was no glory or honor in their actions. They were ganging up on a lone and unexpectant person and did so with no remorse and a cocky attitude. Yoohyeon held her ground against them despite knowing that the odds were stacked against her. An unexplainable pride replaced the disgust within her, and she grinned at the male.

Maybe she really _was_ a warrior in her past life.

“The hell she smiling at?” Asked the partially blonde individual and the other just snorted.

“I think she hit her head.”

“The idiot deserves it.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

He grabbed her by the cheeks this time, causing her grin to dissolve into a pained grimace. His thumb dug into the newly forming bruise unforgivingly, and he moved her head to the side to bare her neck. Tightening her grip on the bar, she waited for the moment he went to sink his fangs in.

Yet, he hesitated. He sniffed.

“Oh? You’ve already been fed from today, huh?” A sinister chuckle bubbled from within his chest. She winced from his tightened hold of her head.

“No wonder you weren’t so scared of us. You’ve already had your _first time_ ,” he drawled out the phrase like it was some sort of sick joke. Yoohyeon didn’t find it funny. “Or have you been someone’s personal blood bag all this time? Hm?”

Yoohyeon merely glanced at the male behind him, thinking he was only asking that to be rhetorical. She didn’t want to think about the implications of the question anyways.

“Answer me, _sweetheart_.”

He jerked her attention back to him roughly despite his tone being gentle. The paradox unsettled her more than the aggression itself.

Yoohyeon didn’t know what to say, and she most certainly didn’t think she owed him any sort of answer. She just stared at him. At this point she was tired of whatever game he was trying to play with her. Her entire body _ached_ despite the adrenaline still keeping her alert. Her palm was sweaty holding the bar, and every instinct within her wanted to get away from this situation as soon as possible.

She was tired.

So terribly tired…

Her assailant didn’t take too kindly to her silence. He began to growl again and tightened his fist. He reared back for another blow.

“HEY!” A voice rang out, echoing through the alleyway like the call of a siren being carried along by the waves.

The male looked up, distracted by the voice before a blur of black and red abruptly replaced him. A loud crash and crumbling took its turn to echo in the alleyway.

Now, a very new figure stood before her.

Yoohyeon’s eyes widened in shock.

Stretched out in front of her was a pair of transparent crimson wings. It shielded her from the two men that had just been assaulting her. Matching crimson feathers drifted downwards like a trail towards the figure. If there was ever an image in Yoohyeon’s head for angels, that image has already been replaced. Not all angels needed to have blinding white wings with white hair and clothes to match. Some may just happen to have long black hair, black clothing, and crimson red wings that rivaled the majesty of the blood moon itself.

The wings just as soon faded out as if Yoohyeon had been imagining them. Perhaps she really did hit her head, or was it the blow to the face that knocked a few screws loose? If it wasn’t for the feathers lingering a moment or two longer before fading out themselves, Yoohyeon probably would’ve really thought she had been imagining them.

It was oddly… comforting, reassuring.

Familiar.

Now, with the wings and the initial shock of the person’s sudden appearance gone, the brunette took the moment to take in the details of the actual person before her. Her eyes remained wide as she came to the quick realization of who this person was.

Maybe she really was going to be a part of a cliché, just, not the one she thought she was about to become a part of.

The shorter male was picking himself up off the floor yet again, except this time with two fresh wounds bleeding from his head and shoulder. Apparently, some vampires still bleed.

The other had the back of his hand pressing gingerly against a growing bruise on his cheek that mirrored Yoohyeon’s. Both of them were glaring at their newfound target of their fury.

Power seemed to thrum from the figure in a way that even Yoohyeon could sense. It was nothing visual, but Yoohyeon could _feel_ it. It was tempered only by an obvious intent to protect.

“She is _mine_.”

_Siyeon…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting to write this chapter since about two months ago after drawing that last scene out, so I am happy to have finally gotten around to it!  
> You can find the drawing over on my Twitter @TinyClover3 if you'd like!
> 
> I have also decided to open up a CuriousCat, so feel free to ask me some questions on there :D  
> https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3


	11. Chapter 10: To Rule the Tides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV | TW // Violence and Blood

Yoohyeon felt paralyzed. The power exuding from Siyeon now was vastly different from the power Yoohyeon experienced from their encounter with Gahyeon. This was tangible, as if all Yoohyeon had to do was just reach out and the energy would seep in through her fingertips. It wreathed around her, gently at first, before becoming like tendrils slowly restricting her. She couldn’t see it. No, she could only sit there on the rough concrete and _feel_ it without any way to escape it.

Her chest felt tight, and she felt a hint of fear creeping up the base of her skull. She forced down a gulp, unable to look away from the woman before her. Due to this unnatural grip of fear, she couldn’t muster the courage to even flinch from the way the cut at her ribs throbbed.

Evidently, she wasn’t the only one being affected. The taller male had taken a hesitant step backwards. The fury that had once raged within his red eyes had dissolved into a frightened flicker. He seemed to be fancying the idea of fleeing. His previous confidence and arrogance were merely figments of the past at this point. His partner appeared to be in a similar state of fright. His rise from the ground had been halted as he found himself stunned.

Yoohyeon’s only saving grace from succumbing to this very same, tangible fear closing in around her was the hope that Siyeon was on her side. She should be, right? Why did she feel a sense of doubt clouding her trust in her? Why couldn’t she believe in her own thoughts? Siyeon was here to help her out. She has to be. Yes… she was here to help her. Why else would she leap in front of her like that if not to protect her?

_Yoohyeon, focus!_

She breathed out slowly, just now realizing that she had been holding her breath. The breathing helped her shake off some of the fear that had continued invading her mind. The brunette grounded herself by clutching ever tighter on the metal bar.

Until…

Snap!

The last sliver of welding keeping the bar aloft gave out, and the bar tumbled to the ground with a cacophonous clanging that disrupted the temporary stillness of the alleyway. Siyeon’s attention immediately shot around to see what happened. Her red eyes burned even brighter and her chest swelled from a deep, angry inhale as she took in Yoohyeon’s battered state.

“Siyeon!” Yoohyeon attempted to warn Siyeon before he could come in contact with her, but she was just a breath too late.

The rising male had taken advantage of the distraction to charge at the soloist. The affect of whatever aura Siyeon had been emanating seemed to have lost its hold on him.

The singer endured the force of his tackle. Her form curled around the male’s on impact, and her black boots skidded across the concrete as she embraced it. Yoohyeon saw the partially blonde individual’s expression turn from victorious to panic once he realized that the soloist had only barely budged. He tried to retrieve himself from underneath Siyeon’s arms, but he noticed only after Yoohyeon that Siyeon’s hands were grasping his sides, holding him in place. He frantically pushed against Siyeon’s waist to pull himself away, but it was useless. It was at this moment that he understood his gravest mistake.

He underestimated them.

He underestimated them both.

And now? Now, he was paying the price.

Siyeon granted the male his wordless request and pulled him away from her. A startled whimper escaped him, and before he had the chance to scramble out of Siyeon’s hold with his newfound wiggle room, he was suddenly hoisted up by a hand around the neck. Yoohyeon couldn’t see Siyeon’s expression from this angle, but from the sight of absolute terror on the male’s face, she could only imagine the demonic glare that she was giving him.

Her voice came out lowly, rumbling in a way akin to an almost feral growl.

“You _hurt_ her...”

The male’s hands went to the hand clutching his neck, trying to pry it off of him as he struggled. His feet swung aimlessly in his panic. The blood from the wound on his head caused one of his eyes to close, making his attempts at escaping look even more pathetic. His whimpers were no longer noises of pleading for his life. Instead, they were breathless gasps for air.

Yoohyeon’s throat went dry at the scene before her. There was a clear murderous intent within Siyeon’s tone and actions, and Yoohyeon didn’t know if she should try to take a moral high ground and attempt to stop her. She was trapped in this dilemma of being in sheer awe of the woman standing in front of her and being in complete fear of her.

“H-hey! Let go of him!”

Oh, right.

Yoohyeon nearly forgot about the other male.

Siyeon’s head slightly turned towards him, and he faltered in his approach. His throat bobbed in an obvious swallow while his hands flexed in an attempt at strengthening his resolve.

“I said, let go!”

And so, Siyeon listened.

She pulled her left arm back, taking the choking male with it as if he were simply some sort of inanimate object, and then she threw him directly at the taller individual. His body flew at an alarming velocity that Yoohyeon never would’ve imagined to have happened because someone _threw him_. She didn’t have to imagine, however, when it happened right in front of her.

No imagination was needed there.

Taking the male by surprise, the two bodies collided, and they both crumbled down to the ground. To be fair, he got what he requested. Siyeon “let go.”

Siyeon took that moment to let out a tense exhale, and that was when Yoohyeon noticed that the singer was just as terrified as she was. That was when she realized that Siyeon had no desire to be caught up in this fight either. That was when Yoohyeon understood that Siyeon was just as unsure and uncomfortable with her vampiric abilities as she was with her vampiric needs. And that was also when Yoohyeon’s fear of her started to ebb away into respect.

And regret.

Siyeon’s hands were trembling. Despite her intimidating display of power, her posture was unconfident and rigid. Her shoulders were tense, and she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. She remained at the ready, but Yoohyeon could easily tell that Siyeon was not trained in the martial arts.

Groaning dragged Yoohyeon’s attention away from Siyeon. She watched as the taller male began to lift himself up off the ground. His partner seemed to be unconscious next to him. Yoohyeon refused to consider the possibility of him being dead, like, completely dead. Well, not all vampires were _undead_ , so maybe just “dead” worked just as well.

A hoarse, pained chuckle filled the alleyway.

“Oh yes, I see how it is,” the male rasped. “It all makes sense now.”

He stood up and stumbled a little. A wicked grin dominated his features.

Yoohyeon suddenly felt hands around her neck and a body against her back. Her eyes widened in her shock, not expecting to suddenly find herself back within his grasp.

“So you really _are_ someone’s personal blood bag, aren’t you, _sweetheart_?” His voice dripped with a malicious venom as he uttered the word “sweetheart” close to her ear.

Siyeon swung around, and her look of fear for Yoohyeon replaced what would have been a glare. She took a swift step forward before being just as quickly halted.

“Ah-ah, you stay right there, brat.” He tightened his grip around Yoohyeon’s neck, causing her to audibly choke. Her airway was being forcefully closed more and more, and her survival instinct to flee surged through her. She gazed helplessly into Siyeon’s eyes as she realized that she was not going to be able to force her way out of his hold on her. Siyeon’s expression hardened.

“Now that I have your attention, you’re going to listen to every word I say. If not, you’re going to have to find yourself a new little lamb to feed off of,” he threatened and dug his nails into Yoohyeon’s neck to emphasize his willingness to go through with his threat.

Siyeon instinctively jolted forward, but she barely managed to catch herself. Yoohyeon, through her tearing up vision, could see how her jaw tightened in frustration. Yoohyeon closed her eyes, grimacing from the pain building in her chest from her strained breath and the nails scratching against the column of her throat.

Yoohyeon’s mind raced as she began calculating all of the possible ways that she could try to get out of this situation. Adrenaline was still swirling through her bloodstream, giving her just enough reprieve from the true extent of her pain to be able to think.

_Think, Yoohyeon. Think._

“You’re going to let me feed,” the male began with his conditions. Siyeon growled.

_Think!_

“And then we’re all going to leave this place and pretend this never happened.”

“You and I both know that is not what’s going to happen,” Siyeon retorted.

Yoohyeon’s fingertips brushed against something cold.

“Fine! Suit yourself,” he hissed, “and here I was trying to be _nice_.”

And just like that, searing white pain completely blinded Yoohyeon’s mind, spreading immediately from her neck.

“ _NO!_ ”

All it took, was one swift movement.

And then, it stopped. Everything stopped. For once, it didn’t seem like the world was continuously moving around her.

For once, everything was quiet.

For once,

Everything was still.

* * *

* * *

…

Except everything wasn’t quiet.

And nothing was still.

Yoohyeon forced her eyes to slowly open. Her ears were ringing loudly and distractingly. She felt a disorienting sense of vertigo once her vision came to focus on the world being tipped on its side, seemingly spinning. Or maybe that was because she was laying prone, with her bruised cheek pressing painfully against the concrete.

Barely past the ringing of her ears, she heard an awful, strangled choking sound just behind her, but it too, alongside the ringing in her ears and the spinning of the world, slowed to a stop.

“Yoohyeon-ah!” Siyeon’s beautifully familiar voice graced her ears, and she felt her head get lifted off of the concrete. She no longer really had the energy to hiss out in pain. Her neck ached from the two newly punctured holes that Siyeon was quickly putting pressure on with her hands.

“Yoohyeon-ah… Oh, Yoohyeon-ah. I’m so, so sorry… Y-you’re going to be okay. Please, hold on. Just hold on, okay? Hang in there, I know you can.”

Yoohyeon felt Siyeon shuffling and soon heard the sound of a ringtone. Aside from the sharp pain from her neck and ribs and the dull aches of the other bruises around her body, Yoohyeon didn’t feel like her life was in any immediate danger. Wasn’t Siyeon being a little over dramatic about her injuries? Wait, was she bleeding out from her neck without even realizing it?

Ah… She couldn’t really tell.

She was just so tired…

Her head was resting against Siyeon’s thigh, and it felt like the most comfortable pillow in the world at this current point in time.

Maybe she’d take a nap.

* * *

She wasn’t sure how long she had fallen asleep for. It must not have been long since she was still outside.

The brunette’s heavy eyelids fluttered open just in time to notice a figure phasing into the alleyway through the wall.

Huh, maybe she really was dying. Maybe this was the real angel coming to collect her and take her on to the afterlife. She hoped it would be nice there.

“Yubin-ah! You’re here. I… I didn’t know who else to call. Can you help me?”

Oh. Never mind. Scratch that. Maybe she wasn’t dying after all. That’s a relief.

But her eyes were still too heavy to keep open. She closed them again, embracing the comforting darkness.

“Do you know where she lives?” The newcomer’s somewhat deep but captivating voice asked.

“No. No, I don’t think so.”

“Take her back to your place then. I’ll take care of things here.”

“But what about this?”

Yoohyeon felt Siyeon’s hands slightly lift from her neck. There was a pause and a couple of footsteps.

“I think she’ll be fine; she’s not bleeding from it anymore. Listen.”

There was another pause. Yoohyeon tried to listen out for whatever it was that this Yubin figure was indicating for. It was proving hard as she felt her consciousness fading further away from her.

“See? Her heartbeat is regular”

_Oh, my heartbeat…_

“If anything changes, Unnie, make sure to call Gahyeon-ah.”

“But-.”

“I know, but it’s either you call Gahyeon-ah or you call Minji-unnie. They’ve both been through it before, so they’ll both know what to do.”

Silence.

More footsteps.

It became harder to stay conscious.

“Make sure to disinfect her wounds.”

“I will… Thank you, Yubin-ah. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t come.”

“ _Any_ of us would’ve been here for you Siyeon-unnie, you know that.”

A sigh.

“I know.”

The dark void of Yoohyeon’s unconscious finally engulfed her, and she readily accepted it. She let herself fall back into the deep slumber her aching body so desperately sought.

 _Thank you… Siyeon-unnie…_ Was the last thought she had before she drifted away into her dreamworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, what a ride this chapter was to write! Thank you all so so much for keeping up with the story! I really appreciate it.  
> Next chapter will be much less intense, but it's definitely a chapter I've been looking forward to writing :)
> 
> Until then, you can come find me on Twitter @TinyClover3 if you'd like! I sometimes post fic sneak peeks + updates, some art, and other musings and freak outs over Dreamcatcher.  
> Alternatively, you can always leave a question on my CuriousCat!  
> https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3


	12. Chapter 11: The Light Belongs to the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siyeon's POV | TW // Mentions of Blood

Everything was in place. A change of clothes was folded neatly on the cardboard nightstand alongside a glass of water. A bowl of ramen was ready to be heated up in the kitchen and a first aid kit that she rushed out to buy was at the ready by her chair. All of the wounds were disinfected the best that they could be without overstepping any unspoken boundaries. Now all that was left was to wait for Yoohyeon to wake up.

Siyeon pinched nervously at the skin on her wrist and thumb, not once taking her attention off of the slumbering beauty in her bed except to blink and rest her own tired eyes. She felt a little awkward watching the woman sleep, but she couldn’t take any chances. What if her condition changed and Siyeon wasn’t there to notice it in time? Sure, she didn’t expect anything to happen with Yoohyeon’s regular heart rate and steady breathing, but anything could change at a moment’s notice. She was no medical expert, so she couldn’t know for sure if her heartbeat really _was_ regular.

That’s right, she wasn’t going to take any chances.

There was no telling how Yoohyeon would react whenever she did wake up either. She might freak out and hurt herself in her panic. After what happened in the alleyway, it would be no surprise if the brunette was haunted by the trauma of it.

Siyeon’s chest tightened with sympathy and nostalgia. Memories of being left, abandoned, with nothing but her insatiable hunger and fear to carry her through the following weeks infected her consciousness.

_Feed. Drink. Blood. Sustenance. Seek._

The beginning of her destructive existence was no grand experience of there being a knight in shining armor to save her from the brink of death. No, there was only abandonment as she was left to fend for herself, discarded like a piece of trash into a ditch. Promises of providing her with a better future were whispered into her ear with no one there to reassure her of the authenticity of those whispers.

Empty promises those were.

Swallowing down a lump in her throat, Siyeon wrenched herself out of the memories before it threatened to swallow her whole instead. She closed her eyes with a soft sigh. The chair creaked slightly as she slunk down in it a bit. No matter what happens, she wouldn’t let the same thing happen to Yoohyeon.

If it came to that.

She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Siyeon’s eyes snapped back open at the slightest increase in Yoohyeon’s pulse. She straightened herself up in the chair and stared intently at the body shifting on the bed. Yoohyeon had taken in a deep inhale that stuttered with a flinch. It was evident that the bodyguard was in a lot of pain.

_Ah crap, I should’ve grabbed something for pain. I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think of that?_

Siyeon’s posture became alert, ready to jump over to Yoohyeon’s aid should she require it. It just now seemed to settle into Yoohyeon that this was not her home. She shot up, looking around wildly before cringing painfully. A grunt of hurt tumbled past her lips, and Siyeon made her way over to her.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay Yoohyeon-ah. It’s me, Siyeon. You’re at my place right now. You’re safe.”

Siyeon sat next to Yoohyeon at the edge of the bed, careful not to invade Yoohyeon’s space anymore than she needed to. The brunette had withdrawn into herself, staring at Siyeon with wide eyes. However, it didn’t last long as the soloist’s words sunk in and she let down her guard.

Good, she recognized her.

Yoohyeon’s shoulders slumped tiredly, and her head hung in both relief and defeat. She let out a half sigh and half groan, supporting herself with her hands on the mattress.

Siyeon’s brows turned upwards in concern for her. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort her with a hug, but she didn’t know if that would be too much for her right now. Instead, she settled for looking her over once again. Dried blood stained the jacket of her suit at her ribs and neck. The bruise on her cheek looked nasty, and Siyeon couldn’t help but to feel empathy pain just by looking at it. Her brown hair was all sorts of disheveled, and if Siyeon wasn’t focused on how worn down Yoohyeon appeared, she might have likened her to a lion.

Groaning, Yoohyeon shifted her position so that she could face Siyeon. The singer watched her silently, unsure of what to say or do. Her tongue was caught in her throat. There were so many things about this situation that she was unprepared for. How could she have prepared for it anyways?

Right, preparations. Maybe she should offer her the water, or a shower, or a change of clothes-

“Unnie.”

Nearly completely turned around to grab the cup of water, Siyeon paused. She looked back at Yoohyeon and immediately tensed up at the hard stare the woman was giving her. Her eyes were narrowed determinedly.

 _Did I do something wrong?_ Siyeon wondered worriedly.

Yoohyeon held out her hand, and Siyeon blinked.

“Huh?”

“Your phone. Give me it.”

“What?”

“Next time, I want to be able to actually contact you instead of going on a wild goose chase through dangerous alleyways where random people want to suck my blood.”

“I-…”

Siyeon couldn’t argue with that. She searched her pockets for her phone and handed it to Yoohyeon after unlocking it. While Yoohyeon was putting in her information, Siyeon felt guilt well up inside of her.

“Yoohyeon-ah, I’m-“

“If you’re about to say you’re sorry, stop.” Yoohyeon looked up from the phone, trapping Siyeon in an exasperated gaze. With Siyeon successfully silenced, she returned her attention to the phone. A moment later, Yoohyeon’s own phone buzzed, and Siyeon assumed that she must have sent a message to herself to have Siyeon’s contact information as well.

Handing the phone back to Siyeon, Yoohyeon spoke up again.

“I’d rather you tell me you’re welcome instead of being sorry. Siyeon-unnie, you saved my life.”

Siyeon just stared at her. It really didn’t occur to Siyeon that she had done so. She had been so worried about Yoohyeon that everything else just didn’t matter to her. But, really, did she _actually_ save her? Yoohyeon had been the one to stop that man from doing anything more than biting her. Siyeon couldn’t do anything about it; she had been frozen in place. It was Yoohyeon who saved herself.

Perhaps sensing her doubt, Yoohyeon reached out and placed a hand on top of Siyeon’s.

“If you hadn’t jumped in when you did, I’m pretty sure I would have been a goner,” remarked Yoohyeon, “And! You have wings? That was so cool!”

Siyeon searched Yoohyeon’s expression for any hint of sarcasm or hesitation, but there was only awe, excitement, and appreciation reflected back onto her. There was almost a childlike wonder in Yoohyeon’s demeanor. This was definitely nothing of what Siyeon expected. She started to worry that Yoohyeon might be hiding the true turmoil she felt from the experience under her wonderstruck curiosity.

“Were you the one sending out that weird, scary sensation? That was such a shock! I never knew vampirism could do something like that. I thought vampirism only enhanced, like, physical capabilities. I didn’t know that it could give people cool other abilities like that. How come nobody hears about that?”

“Yoohyeon-ah…”

Siyeon took Yoohyeon’s hands, ceasing her rambling.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Yoohyeon’s shoulder’s drooped again as she quietened down, and her gaze turned to the mattress instead of Siyeon. Her lips quivered, revealing the first crack in her mask of excitement. Tightening her grip on Siyeon’s hands, Yoohyeon closed her eyes to collect herself. Siyeon waited patiently and attentively for the taller girl to respond. Everything was at Yoohyeon’s pace.

Finally, Yoohyeon’s grip loosened.

“Yes,” her voice trembled slightly, “I’m okay. I will be anyways. I was just… so scared. I didn’t know if I was going to make it out alive.” An absent chuckle escaped her. “I had already came to terms with the thought that I wouldn’t.”

She glanced up at Siyeon, and Siyeon couldn’t hold back her desire to engulf Yoohyeon into a hug any longer. Yoohyeon winced.

“Oh, sorry.” Siyeon went to pull away, afraid of hurting her further, but Yoohyeon stopped her by wrapping her own arms around her.

“I-it’s okay, Unnie, please.”

Siyeon obliged.

She didn’t hold her tightly, cautious of Yoohyeon wounds, but she did hold her firmly as though she was hoping to express how much she cared for Yoohyeon through her arms. They stayed in that position for a while in silence, only listening to the sound of each other’s breathing and losing themselves into each other’s embrace, or at least that was what Siyeon was doing. She took the opportunity to just exist in the present moment of being there with and for Yoohyeon.

But the world moved on, and time, no matter how much it was a figment of everyone’s imagination, still passed.

“Do you need some water?” Siyeon asked first, breaking the peaceful silence that had wrapped around them like a comforting blanket.

Yoohyeon hummed softly.

“I would love some.”

Siyeon broke away from the warmth of their embrace and retrieved the glass of water from the nightstand. She passed it to Yoohyeon, careful not to let any of it spill onto the sheets.

It was just water though, so it wasn’t like she couldn’t just let it dry if she did spill some.

“Thank you,” thanked Yoohyeon as she took the glass. She greedily gulped down its contents and let out a satisfied “ah” once she finished. Siyeon felt her lips curl up into an amused smile.

“I also have some spare clothes for you if you want to take a shower, and a bowl of ramen if you get hungry.”

“Wow, am I on vacation?”

Siyeon rolled her eyes.

“There’s also a first aid kit for you redress your injuries if you need it. I tried to disinfect what I could, but I didn’t want to… you know… um…” Siyeon trailed off. Heat colored her cheeks, and she looked away from Yoohyeon awkwardly.

“Undress me?” Yoohyeon questioned with amusement creeping into her tone. It only caused Siyeon to become more flustered at how she was reacting.

“Well, yeah, you know, because you were asleep, and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, and-”

“I get it, Siyeon-unnie. Thank you, really. I think I will take that shower though. I smell like a mess, and I probably look like one too.”

Siyeon mumbled incoherently to herself. Her pride felt jeopardized. She stood up from the bed and was about to gesture to the change of clothes before Yoohyeon’s voice started again.

“Oh, Siyeon-unnie.”

“Hm?”

“Where even _were_ you? I was trying to find you after you just kind of just left me there in the theater.”

“Oh.” Shame and embarrassment washed over the soloist. She scratched the side of her head and adverted her gaze. Heat returned to her face.

“I… may have gotten distracted by a stray cat on the side of the road…”

“Seriously? I was trying to find you because I was worried about you, and you were chasing after a _cat_?” Yoohyeon scoffed out in bewilderment. She looked like she was barely holding back laughter. Siyeon’s chest swelled in indignation.

“Okay! Listen! It was cute, and I didn’t think it’d run away from me like that! I just wanted to see where it was going! I didn’t even mean to go that far, and besides, how could I have known you were looking for me?” Her cheeks burned even more as Yoohyeon burst out into a fit of laughter that was punctuated by coughs of pain.

“Ah, whatever! Go take your shower. It’s just out the door to the left.” She snatched the clothes from the nightstand and tossed them at Yoohyeon. It smacked her in the face, which only caused her to laugh even more.

“Ow, ow,” Yoohyeon complained as she clutched her side where her injured ribs were and tried to calm down her laughter. “Laughing hurts,” she groaned regretfully.

“Serves you right,” retorted Siyeon as she offered a hand to the bodyguard to help her off the bed. A wide smile graced both of their features. Yoohyeon accepted her help gratefully and limped on over to the door. She made sure to grab the first aid kit with her free hand before realizing that she wouldn’t be able to open the door. The taller one turned to Siyeon with pouty lips and pleading eyes. Siyeon felt her vampiric heart leap in her chest at the sight.

“I got it. I got it,” she said as she walked over to open the door.

Once the door was open, Yoohyeon bumped her shoulder with her own and met her eyes as she passed. They held each other’s gaze just for a brief moment, but it was enough to cause Siyeon’s chest to tighten in a much different way than before. Yoohyeon’s eyes closed into an eye-smile only matched by her bright gummy smile once she exited through the threshold.

The brunette entered the bathroom and set her stuff down. Before closing the door behind her, she peeked her head out to see Siyeon still looking in her direction.

“Sorry Unnie,” Yoohyeon gathered Siyeon’s confused attention, “but you can’t _watch_ me undress either. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Wait- what?”

And with that, Yoohyeon closed the door, leaving Siyeon standing there in the doorway of her bedroom completely stunned and even more embarrassed. She brought her hands up to her fully blushing face and let out a positively overwhelmed noise.

_Kim Yoohyeon, what am I going to do with you?_

She thought, completely flustered. She then plopped down into the chair that she had waited in previously, now waiting for Yoohyeon to finish.

* * *

…

There was nothing. Only darkness.

Siyeon knew that this was just a dream, but everything about it just felt so _real_. She could feel every breath she took, every step she took, every muscle she used...

Her eyes darted around frantically, desperately, looking, searching, for anything, anyone.

But there was nothing. Only darkness.

A ghastly feminine voice echoed around her, laughing lowly. It was strangely foreign, yet all too familiar, and because of that, terrifying. A shadowy touch brushed against her cheek, and she instinctively flinched. She tried to locate the source.

But there was nothing. Only darkness.

_“Why must you fight it?”_

Her body seized up as the shadows encaged her, restraining her from all sides.

_“You can **not** keep me out. Not for much longer.”_

The shadows began to recede and with it, the air within her lungs.

_“Remember… You. Are. **Mine**.”_

Siyeon woke up with a start, sitting upright immediately. Her breath was quick and ragged, and she felt a cold sweat against her skin. She brought a hand up to her neck, pressing against the memory of a wound that has long since disappeared. She slowly calmed herself, reminding herself over and over that it was just a dream, and then scanned her room.

_Yoohyeon?_

She quickly noticed that Yoohyeon was no longer on the bed with her. The younger woman had insisted that Siyeon slept on the bed with her since there was “plenty of room and she wouldn’t want Siyeon to be on the floor.” Her dorm didn’t have enough room for an extra couch to camp out on while Yoohyeon spent the night. Of course, Siyeon had her hesitations, but Yoohyeon proved to be quite the persistent figure.

But where was she now?

Siyeon checked her phone for the time and squinted her eyes against the light as the screen revealed 3:43am.

_What in the world is Yoohyeon doing at this hour?_

She scrambled out of the sheets and slowly began her trek out of the room. It didn’t escape her attention that light was spilling in from under the door. Concern quickened her pace. She pulled open the door and rubbed her eyes before opening them to the warm LED lamp on her kitchen table.

There, she found Yoohyeon turning her head towards her like a deer caught in headlights. She had chopsticks holding the ramen that she had just put in her mouth and raised shoulders that indicated her feeling of being caught. It was kind of adorable.

Siyeon’s gaze went across the table. It looked like Yoohyeon had found her post-it notes and a pen.

What was it with people using her post-it notes?

First Gahyeon, now Yoohyeon?

It wasn’t like she had a deep connection with her post-it notes, but she was starting to think that she should probably hide them next time. Maybe she ought to put child-safety locks on all of her stuff just in case.

Yoohyeon hurriedly finished the bite she had just taken and set the chopsticks aside.

“Ah, sorry Unnie! Did I wake you?” She followed Siyeon’s gaze to the post-it notes. “Oh, and… sorry for using your post-its without asking first too. I’ll buy you some more, I promise!” The brunette shrank even more in her seat.

Siyeon decided that she would let Yoohyeon off the hook, this time.

“No, no, it’s okay. You didn’t wake me.” She assured and approached Yoohyeon, yawning. “What are you doing?”

Yoohyeon straightened her posture once Siyeon cleared her of her “sins” and expressed intrigue. She took off the top post-it and showed it to Siyeon, who was now hovering a bit over her shoulder. Scribbled on the paper were various characters that Siyeon was able to recognize as Chinese.

“I was studying Chinese, and,” she motioned to the ramen, “I was hungry. I can’t really get to sleep unless I work a little bit on my studies.”

Siyeon had to admit to herself that she was a little bit impressed.

“Really?” Siyeon asked as she wrapped her arms around Yoohyeon’s shoulders. Although it was a bit awkward, it was a successful back-hug. Yoohyeon didn’t seem to mind it.

“Yeah, it’s a habit of mine. I wouldn’t say that it’s a bad one since I get to improve more, but it does keep me up sometimes.” The bodyguard explained and leaned a little into Siyeon’s embrace.

Siyeon released Yoohyeon, but before she fully pulled away, she looked at the twin wounds on Yoohyeon’s neck. She stared at it as her nightmare lingered at the back of her mind.

Her fingers ghosted across the injury, and Siyeon felt a heavy pit in her stomach. It was a strange feeling, one that Siyeon wasn’t sure that she liked. It was a mix between a sense of sympathy, concern, and… possessiveness.

Possessiveness.

That part scared her the most.

Yoohyeon slightly shifted and grabbed Siyeon’s hand before the singer could retrieve it from Yoohyeon’s neck.

Not even looking back at Siyeon, Yoohyeon squeezed her hand and took in a deep inhale.

“Hey, Unnie…”

There was a pause as Yoohyeon tried to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to ask.

“I’m not…”

Her voice faltered, unsure, as if she were afraid of the answer.

“I’m not just a… just a blood-bag to you, am I?”

She still refused to look around at Siyeon behind her. The table was evidently much more appealing to look at in this moment. Perhaps Yoohyeon felt that if she looked at Siyeon, that Siyeon would answer yes.

But of course, Siyeon was going to say no. There was not a single doubt in Siyeon’s mind about her answer.

“Of course not, Yoohyeon-ah. You were never, _ever_ , ‘just a blood-bag’ to me. You’re my friend. I told you that myself, remember? _Please_ don’t ever think that, please.”

She leaned down to capture Yoohyeon’s attention away from the table.

“I care about you way more than that, Yoohyeon-ah. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Yoohyeon smiled softly, mostly to herself, as if she was relieved by the answer before looking at Siyeon.

“I care about you too Siyeon-unnie.” She squeezed Siyeon’s hand again. “I’m sorry… I just couldn’t get his words out of my head…”

“No, don’t apologize. It’s okay. You have a right to be worried about those kinds of things,” soothed Siyeon.

“But, Unnie,” started Yoohyeon, “it’s still okay if you need to go to me if you need more blood. I’m not going to take back my offer, okay?”

Siyeon stiffened. The amount of relief that crashed over her from Yoohyeon’s clarification sent a chill down her spine.

She had a single doubt in her head after all.

Her first declaration after leaping in to protect Yoohyeon in the alleyway echoed mockingly through her head.

_“She is **mine**.”_

Possessiveness.

But why? Yoohyeon was no possession. She was her own being. Siyeon didn’t own her. Siyeon knew that.

Her mind recalled the recurring nightmares and the haunting voice that reminded her over and over of this very same possessiveness.

Siyeon squeezed Yoohyeon’s hand in return.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was definitely a pleasure for me to write.  
> For those of you who saw the spoiler on Twitter, whoops, sorry if this chapter only gave you more questions about it than answers ^^;
> 
> We will be reuniting with some of the other members in the next chapter. I wonder what will happen~
> 
> While we wait for that, feel free to find me on Twitter @TinyClover3 for fic updates + spoilers, the occasional art, and other musings about Dreamcatcher! I'm super excited for the Lose Myself album!
> 
> Feel free to also leave a question or comment on my CuriousCat @ https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3


	13. Chapter 12: Branded by the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siyeon's POV | TW // Violence and Anxiety

The practice room felt bigger than ever. The four walls seemed to bend away from her was she moved about the space. It made her feel incredibly small.

And lonely.

Siyeon had insisted that Yoohyeon went back home to take the day off. Her bruises had darkened overnight, and the singer didn’t think that Yoohyeon would want any more attention drawn to her for showing up obviously injured. If anything happened, Siyeon wouldn’t want Yoohyeon to end up worsening her condition. Part of Siyeon felt guilty for what happened to Yoohyeon.

If only she hadn’t been a coward… If only she had just swallowed her fear of confronting her past and stayed by Yoohyeon’s side in the theater.

The guilt had transformed into a protectiveness over the taller woman. It settled deep within the soloist. She made sure to stay with Yoohyeon the entire trip to the younger’s apartment. She walked her up to her door and gave her strict instructions to rest and redress her wounds.

Yoohyeon protested every step of the way, saying how she didn’t want to burden Siyeon with keeping an eye on her and how she still wanted to do her job. As much as the sentiment warmed Siyeon’s heart, Yoohyeon’s safety came first. Yoohyeon may be her bodyguard on paper, but the whole idea hiring of a bodyguard was only meant to be for appearances sake in the first place. The company didn’t want anyone to get suspicious. She was unsure if the suspicion they wanted to avoid was the suspicion that the company possibly wasn’t taking proper care of her or if it was the suspicion that she was not as human as they claimed her to be.

Luckily, she had convinced her managers to allow her to have just one bodyguard instead of a whole security unit. They gave in quite easily. Evidently, they didn’t seem too keen on arguing with a vampire, not that she could blame them.

She sighed to herself and looked around the empty dance room. There were no managers, no choreographer, no other dancers, no company friends, no one. Her attention came to her own figure in the mirror, and the sense of loneliness enveloped her again. It was just her. It was always just her.

Alone.

Like usual.

A nagging voice at the back of her head ridiculed her for bringing this upon herself, but it was better this way. Besides, she’d rather give the staff the choice to avoid her than to pretend to be something she wasn’t. She already pretended enough in front of the cameras. It was an escape for her, to pretend to not have the weight of her sins haunting her with every step she took, to pretend she didn’t have the intrusive thoughts to feed off of the excited bloodstreams around her, to pretend that she was still as human as she wished to be.

But if she was human…

Her mind wandered back to the events of last night. No… if she was human…

The door to the dance practice room abruptly swung open. Siyeon barely had time to turn around when a body tackled into her with surprising strength. Her back slammed into the mirror and the glass cracked all around her with a high-pitched shattering sound. The wind was knocked from her lungs and her hands immediately went to push back the figure pressing her against the now-broken mirror. An arm was pushing across her chest and a hand grasped her arm. The soloist’s survival instincts burst through her system, and her eyes flared into a burning red. The figure was definitely smaller than her, but they didn’t budge, not even an inch from her push.

“What the hell did you do to her?!” The figure screeched angrily. Siyeon didn’t respond immediately. She was extremely confused and bewildered. Her vision focused as she came out of her shock, and she locked gaze with bright purple eyes glowering at her furiously. It took her a heartbeat longer to recognize this person as the third woman standing with Minji and Handong.

She was shoved back into the mirror in the woman’s impatience. Siyeon hissed in pain.

“Tell me!”

A shard of glass fell to the ground as Siyeon gathered her strength to shove the stranger off of her. This got the woman to move just far enough away from her for the singer to have some breathing room.

“What are you talking about? Who are you?!” Siyeon stared at the fuming female with wide eyes. Both of their breaths were already heavy even though they both had barely done anything except push each other. The adrenaline was already sending energy crackling through their bodies. It was obvious to the both of them by the way their eyes glowed, the way their fangs were showing past their lips, and the way they took in deep, open mouthed breaths.

“You should know _exactly_ what I’m talking about,” hissed the shorter woman. “I’m talking about Yoohyeon-ah!” Siyeon’s guard faltered as realization colored her features. “I smell her all over you. I know you’re the one who fed off her. So. What. Did. You. Do?” Her voice dipped into a threatening growl.

It seemed like Siyeon wasn’t the only one protective of Yoohyeon.

“I didn’t do anything to her,” Siyeon started and the woman scoffed. “Yes, okay? I-… I drank from her.” The stranger’s hands clenched into fists and her shoulders rose. She took a step towards the soloist. Siyeon felt in danger.

“But!” She put her hand up in a ‘wait’ gesture, backing up from the increasingly angry woman. “She gave me permission to! I didn’t do anything to her without her saying it was okay! Sh-she’s-.”

“Bora-yah!” A new, higher voice huffed from the doorway and the two in the room diverted their attention to the newcomer. Immediately, the two stiffened upon recognizing her.

_Minji-unnie…_

“What are you doing?” Minji scanned the room with wide eyes, appalled. The woman, apparently named Bora, returned her focus to Siyeon.

“She’s the one who bit Yoohyeon-ah,” Bora hissed. She didn’t once lessen the glare she was giving Siyeon.

Minji entered the room and placed a hand on Bora’s shoulder. She gave Siyeon an apologetic look.

Siyeon’s chest felt tight as her anxiety rose. It was becoming hard to breathe. She had just been ambushed by someone who obviously wanted to protect Yoohyeon, and now Minji was here, someone she had much preferred to avoid. She couldn’t face her last night, yet here she was, right here in front of her in a room that Siyeon had no escape from.

“I know, but you can’t just assault her like this.”

“You knew?!”

Both Siyeon and Bora looked at Minji in equal amounts of shock, and Minji shrank a little in embarrassment.

“Oh no, no, I didn’t. Well, I mean, I guessed as much, so I’m not surprised. Um…” Minji looked between the two of them. A nervous smile lit up her features. She shined just as brightly as Siyeon remembered. “Look, that’s not the point. Bora-yah, don’t attack Siyeon-ah.” Bora grumbled resignedly. “And Siyeon-ah,” Siyeon gulped, “You have some explaining to do.”

Minji pointed towards the couch.

“Sit.”

It was a simple command, but Siyeon couldn’t find it within herself to protest against her. She and Bora glanced back at one another, and they both trudged over to the couch. Bora looked like she had just been caught red-handed. To Siyeon’s relief, she was not caught _literally_ red-handed. Bora took a seat first at the end of the couch closest to the still ajar door, and Siyeon promptly took residence on the complete opposite side. Their eyes had returned to normal by now, and at least Siyeon’s fangs were dismissed.

Minji stood in front of them with her arms crossed. She appeared to be trying to look disappointed in them, but with the way her lips were upturned into a cute pout and her eyes still had that little eye-smile, it was hard for Siyeon to take her seriously. No matter how hard it was, however, Siyeon still paid close attention.

“So, first, introduce yourselves,” Minji ordered and when the two just glanced at each other awkwardly, she amended herself, “ _Properly_ this time.”

“Hi…” Bora began hesitantly, sliding her back down the couch. “I’m Bora. Sorry for slamming you into the mirror.”

Siyeon huffed indignantly and gazed at the very mirror she was pushed into. It was definitely very broken by now.

Did she have a couple shards in her back or something? Nah, she would’ve felt that.

Minji gestured towards Bora, regaining the singer’s attention. “Siyeon-ah,” she reminded gently.

“Oh, yeah, um… hi… I’m Siyeon, the one who you shoved into the mirror.” Siyeon muttered her words unconfidently. She didn’t even look at the smaller figure at the other end of the couch.

“Great, hi Siyeon,” no honorifics, “Now, what did you do to my friend?”

“Bora-yah.”

Bora grumbled again, and Siyeon sighed. This was such a weird situation to be in. Out of all the ways she imagined spending this morning, _this_ was not in any of the proposed scenarios.

“I drank some of her blood,” tension rose, “ _with_ her permission. Then that was it. I didn’t do anything else…”

“Oh, stop lying!” Bora shouted, and Siyeon flinched. She was startled by the conviction in which Bora made her accusation. Minji narrowed her eyes at Bora, seemingly just as curious as Siyeon for what Bora was going on about.

Standing up from the couch, Bora faced Siyeon. She was much calmer than she had been when she initially came into the room, but that protective fury evidently still raged within her. Her eyes flashed purple threateningly.

“What do you-?”

“You marked her.”

“Huh?” Siyeon’s posture straightened.

_What is she talking about?_

“Stop playing dumb! I sensed it when she came to watch Dong-dong’s practice. You,” Bora stepped forward, pointing accusingly at the dark-haired soloist. Minji quickly intercepted her approach, but Bora spoke around her. “ _You_ were all over her. You _claimed_ her like _property_!”

Slowly, Siyeon’s eyes opened wide and her jaw slackened. Disbelief coursed through her and the anxiety that had been building more and more the longer this situation went on evolved into panic.

“I-… I did _what_?”

_Claimed her? Property? No… No, I didn’t. She’s not- I didn’t do anything like that. I wouldn’t! I couldn’t have!_

Possessiveness.

_There’s no way I did… Wouldn’t I have known if I did?_

_“She’s mine.”_

Siyeon couldn’t breathe. The panic seized her system. She was hyperventilating.

“I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to.” She was no longer aware of her surroundings. Bora could beat her up for all she cared. She deserved it. She did something horrible, to Yoohyeon of all people.

“I swear I didn’t mean to. What have I done? What did I do?”

“Siyeon-unnie?! Hey! You two! What are you- huh? Bora-unnie? Why are you-? No, you know what, I don’t care. Move.”

Siyeon recognized that voice.

_No, no, no. She can’t be here right now._

“Yoohyeon-ah? Wait, what happened to you?”

“I said move, Unnie.”

Siyeon found the courage to look up just in time to see Bora’s expression change from shock into anger. Yet despite the anger, both she and Minji stepped out of the way to reveal Yoohyeon’s figure. She had on a new suit, and her face was caked in make-up to hide her bruises. A bandage was placed over the biggest bruise on her cheek. She probably couldn’t hide it well enough without the bandage.

But why was she here? Siyeon remembered plainly telling her to take the day off.

She was really the last person she wanted to see right now, but _of course_ she had to be here, because, no, that would’ve just been _too_ convenient.

Yoohyeon crouched down in front of her, and that’s when Siyeon realized she had been holding her breath. She let out a shaky exhale. Yoohyeon’s presence was at once relaxing as it was nerve-wracking. No, never mind. Not relaxing.

_“You marked her.”_

Not relaxing at all.

Yoohyeon’s hand reached out for hers, but the singer couldn’t take it so Yoohyeon silently withdrew her own hand, not pushing Siyeon to match her. The bodyguard just crouched there, letting Siyeon take her own time to calm down. The taller woman exaggerated her own breaths, and Siyeon felt drawn to follow her lead. For a brief moment, it was just the two of them, Siyeon and Yoohyeon, existing in this space. There was no broken mirror. There was no Minji or Bora standing off to the side watching them. There was no idle ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. It was just them and nothing else.

“Yoohyeon-ah…” muttered Siyeon eventually. Her voice broke with fear. “I think… I think I accidentally did something I shouldn’t have.”

“And what’s that?”

“I think I marked you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay everyone! Between classes starting, working on a couple oneshots instead of this (whoops), and other various delays, Folkvangr is finally back :D I can't promise that the next chapters will be done with any speed, but do rest assured that I am still working on this behind the scenes. Try to stay healthy and stay hydrated. It's okay to take a moment for yourself to breathe :)
> 
> As always, feel free to drop by my Twitter at @TinyClover3 for potential fic updates/teasers, the occasional art, and other musings about Dreamcatcher!  
> I also have a CuriousCat @ https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3 for any questions or comments you might have.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	14. Chapter 13: Scattered Sunlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV | A bit dialogue heavy

_“I think I marked you.”_

Yoohyeon immediately froze.

_What?_

She became even more confused. She sensed the tension rising once again in the room.

“Marked me? W-what’s that supposed to mean?” asked the bodyguard tentatively.

_And why do you sound so scared?_

If it wasn’t for the fact that she had just walked into the practice room, fully expecting to just find Siyeon practicing or something, and was instead greeted by a broken mirror, an angry Bora being intercepted by a woman who she recognized as Minji, and Siyeon dissolving into a panic attack… Yoohyeon wouldn’t have been so apprehensive about Siyeon’s answer. She felt like this ‘marking’ thing, or whatever it was, was some sort of death sentence. That was the only thing that she could think of to justify why Bora was here and why Siyeon looked like she had just seen a ghost. Maybe she did. Vampires were real, so why couldn’t ghosts be?

Siyeon didn’t answer immediately, so Yoohyeon took the time to study her expression. The singer was evidently distraught, yet by the way her eyes shifted from one object to the next and the amount of times her lips parted to speak only to close again, Yoohyeon came to the unexpected conclusion that she didn’t know.

“I…” Siyeon attempted, but her voice fell off into nothingness.

Silence hung in the air for a moment longer, only confirming the brunette’s suspicion.

“You don’t know,” Yoohyeon breathed out.

“You don’t know?” Bora pushed past Minji, breaking into the imaginary bubble of peace that had enveloped the idol and younger bodyguard. “You’ve had your vampirism - for longer than me - and you _don’t know_?”

Siyeon flinched at Bora’s inquiry, and Yoohyeon could only imagine the thoughts that must have been running through her head. She felt a familiar heat of protectiveness set her soul afire the closer Bora came to Siyeon. A sharp warning and retort started to form within Yoohyeon’s throat, but the knowing glance that Bora gave her caused all of her words to dissipate before they could pass her tongue.

Bora’s aggression had suddenly evaporated, almost as if she hadn’t just tried to kill Siyeon what was probably only a few minutes ago. Siyeon made the move to get up, evidently still on the defense, but Bora’s raised hand halted her in her tracks.

“You didn’t have anyone, did you?” Bora’s voice came out quieter than Yoohyeon expected, but it wasn’t something unfamiliar. This was the tone of voice that Bora would use when she would be comforting someone. This was the tone of voice that Bora would use when she felt insecure or nervous about something. This was the tone of voice that Bora used when she’d allow herself to be vulnerable.

Siyeon’s gaze dropped to the floor.

“…No.”

“And you don’t like your vampirism, do you?”

“No.”

“So that’s why you didn’t know.”

Siyeon didn’t respond.

Yoohyeon looked between the two women. She felt like she was missing an important piece to this exchange.

 _She didn’t have anyone?_ _What? What does that have to do with this?_ Yoohyeon was trying to figure out what that detail meant, and why it was important to concluding that Siyeon didn’t know what this supposed “marking” thing was.

Oh, right, she still needed to figure out what that was all about too.

“Did… did no one actually talk to you about it?”

Siyeon finally looked back up at Bora. Confusion was revealed in her slightly creased brows.

“Your vampirism, I mean.” Bora clarified. “No one talked it through with you?” As Bora asked this, she turned her head to look at Minji. The action drew Yoohyeon to follow her gaze, and there she saw the blonde woman staring guiltily at Siyeon. Tears looked to be welling up in the woman’s soft brown eyes. An unspoken “I’m sorry” and “please forgive me” seemed to radiate off the CEO.

The gap in knowledge Yoohyeon had about the history between all of these women became even more painfully noticeable.

“No,” came Siyeon’s curt yet defeated response.

At this, Bora let out a sigh, but Yoohyeon knew that it wasn’t one made out of frustration or exasperation. It was one made to quell the emotions that were most likely churning empathetically beneath the surface and within her heart.

Bora suddenly diverted her attention to Yoohyeon and gestured for her to sit next to the singer.

“Come, sit. I’m going to educate the both of you.”

As Yoohyeon rose to obey, Bora took her by the jacket. Yoohyeon instinctively yelped and braced herself for the shaking she knew was coming next.

“And don’t you dare think I’m just going to let you get away with being so snippety with me,” she warned before letting go of her. The shaking never happened, and Yoohyeon didn’t know why, but that shook her up more than if Bora _had_ shaken her.

 _Crap… maybe she really_ is _angry with me._ Yoohyeon gulped nervously and hastily took her seat next to Siyeon. The singer reached out to her and took her hand, immediately pinching at Yoohyeon’s skin. Yoohyeon just gazed worriedly at the darker haired woman, letting her use her hand as the focus for what appeared to be her nervous habit. Bora’s voice was the only thing that tore her attention away from the soloist.

“Minji-yah,” Bora addressed the CEO, “will you come help me explain?”

For some reason, Bora’s words sounded more like an offer of redemption than a simple request for help. Her pointed gaze backed up what Yoohyeon thought.

“Of course,” Minji responded after only a heartbeat of hesitation. She was probably just taking that brief moment to gleam Bora’s intentions. The CEO joined the two already on the couch, sitting albeit a bit closer to Yoohyeon than Yoohyeon anticipated she would. However, whenever Yoohyeon looked at her inquisitively, Minji met her gaze with the sweetest of smiles, and Yoohyeon found herself unable to mind the closeness anymore.

“Okay,” the older bodyguard started, capturing all of the girls’ attention. She stood in front of them with her hands on her hip, and Yoohyeon had to hide the rising amusement she had with how silly it made her look. Apparently Yoohyeon wasn’t the only one finding humor in her pose.

“Yah!” A giggle exploded into laughter from beside the brunette as Minji quickly punctuated her laughter with apologies.

“I’m sorry, Bora-yah. You just looked so cute. I couldn’t help myself.” Minji mimicked Bora’s stance to show her what she looked like, exaggerating it by puffing out her chest and cheeks. Bora’s face flushed in embarrassment and she closed her eyes while biting her bottom lip, likely in an attempt to stave off her instinct to retaliate.

Bora let out a huff and chose to cross her arms over her chest instead. She opened her eyes and trained her gaze at Yoohyeon. The older bodyguard was serious again.

Yoohyeon felt her own grip around Siyeon’s hand tighten. Without realizing it, she leaned closer to the idol. Siyeon didn’t seem to mind it, or perhaps she was too nervous to pay it any attention.

“So, what did I… what did I do to her?” Siyeon spoke up in a small, terrified voice, causing Bora to cease her intent stare at Yoohyeon. “What does marking someone do?”

“Well, the effect changes depending on the type of vampirism you have. However, marking someone basically means you’ve marked them as property and that other vampires should keep their fangs off them,” Bora began, and Minji picked up where she left off.

“And that can be a good thing!”

Yoohyeon and Siyeon glanced at one another at this.

Picking up on their hesitation, Minji elaborated. “It can dissuade other vampires from feeding off someone if they know they’ve been marked. So, like, many people with vampirism know to avoid messing with someone who has been marked, because their ow- err, marker usually won’t be far away.”

Yoohyeon narrowed her eyes.

_She was about to say owner…_

“But that means the person who was marked is forever tethered to the person who marked them,” Bora added on.

“Tethered?” asked Yoohyeon. She felt Siyeon’s pinching stop.

“It means you can’t stay away from them for long periods of time. You’ll feel the need to seek them out or else it’ll cause you to go insane. _Actually_ insane.” Bora’s expression set into a frown.

“And vice versa,” included Minji.

“And then you’ll feel possessive of them. Like they belong to you. Like they’re somehow no longer they’re own person, right?” Siyeon suddenly pulled away from Yoohyeon, and Yoohyeon swiveled her head to her immediately, eyes wide. Siyeon stood up, completely avoiding looking at Yoohyeon and instead only focusing on Bora. Her voice was low, resigned, and full of what Yoohyeon could only guess was self-resentment.

“And it’d all be because I did something stupid,” the singer growled angrily. She took a step toward Bora, “So how do I reverse it? How do I unmark her? There’s got to be a way, right?”

The shortest turned towards the soloist, “I mean… not that I know of. Minji-yah?”

The blonde CEO hummed thoughtfully. She put her hand on Yoohyeon’s shoulder, “Well, we still don’t actually know if what you did was truly marking her, Siyeon-ah.”

Noises of confusion and surprise came from everyone else in the room. Minji smiled.

“We know that every person’s vampirism is different, and from what I’ve heard, marking has always been a conscious thing vampires did. Siyeon-ah didn’t even know what she was doing. Isn’t that correct?”

Siyeon vocalized her confirmation hesitantly.

“So, what if Yoohyeon-ah wasn’t actually marked?” Minji’s hand gently squeezed Yoohyeon’s shoulder. “Maybe it just looks like marking, smells like marking, but it’s not actual marking.”

“But I-?”

“Yoohyeon-ah,” Minji addressed the youngest, interrupting Siyeon, “Why did you come here this morning?”

Yoohyeon fumbled a bit. She was surprised by the sudden inquiry and was overwhelmed by all of the information being thrown at her. She was marked, or wait, maybe she wasn’t? It was confirmed that Minji is also a vampire, and that now she was sitting in a room of three vampires. In what lucid dream was she stuck in this time? All she wanted to do was do her job, not get caught up in some vampiric drama, but alas, here she was. She didn’t seek out the vampire life, the vampire life sought her.

Marked or not, this was her reality now, and there was no escaping it.

“I just…” Yoohyeon brought a hand to rub her temple, “I just wanted to do my job.”

“And it wasn’t because you felt like you just _had_ to be by Siyeon-ah’s side?”

“Uh, that’s kind of in my job description, Minji-ssi.”

Minji let out a soft laugh, “Oh I know, I know! But you didn’t feel like you needed to be _fed_ from her again, yes?”

Yoohyeon quirked a brow, “Is that what being marked does to you?”

“It’s what I’ve heard.”

Yoohyeon’s head started to ache, matching the aches she felt throughout her body from her injuries.

“Then, definitely no. I don’t think so. I really just wanted to get back to doing my job. I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself stuck at home otherwise.”

“Don’t you have Pie-yah?” Siyeon questioned.

“Oh, no, Pie stays with my parents since I’m living in an apartment right now.”

“Oh.”

Minji removed her hand from Yoohyeon’s shoulder as Bora spoke up.

“Didn’t you have work today anyways, Yoohyeon-ah?”

Yoohyeon and Siyeon met each other’s gaze for what was probably the umpteenth time now. It seemed like they both didn’t want to tell either them about what happened last night.

“Oh…” Yoohyeon murmured, feeling caught.

Bora looked between the two, reading their expressions.

“What happened?”

Yoohyeon knew that Bora was not going to be satiated with just a half-baked answer. She sighed and lowered her hand from her temple to the bandage on her cheek.

“Well, you see, what happened was…” The taller bodyguard trailed off, unsure of how to explain what happened without setting off the protective nuclear bomb that is Bora. She gulped, feeling her own anxiety rise from remembering the events that transpired less than twenty-four hours ago. “Promise me you won’t go hunting someone else down.”

Uncrossing her arms, Bora’s face hardened. “You know I can’t promise that.”

Minji reached her hand out to Bora, “Come here.” She looked at Yoohyeon, “I’ll make sure she can keep that promise.”

Bora spent a moment without acknowledging Minji, but she did, nonetheless. She took Minji’s hand without taking her eyes off of Yoohyeon for even a second as Yoohyeon rose from her spot. She and Yoohyeon exchanged places wordlessly.

Yoohyeon came up to Siyeon and gave her a visual once over.

“Are you okay?” Yoohyeon whispered worriedly. She resisted her urge to step closer, not willing to come into her space in case Siyeon wanted to still keep a distance. Luckily for her, Siyeon just nodded slowly and reached for her hand again. Happily obliging, Yoohyeon offered her hand to her and came closer, taking Siyeon’s other hand into her own.

“I’m really, _really_ sorry that I don’t know what happened nor what I’ve done to you. I wish I did. I really do.”

“Hey, obviously, I don’t really know what’s going on either, but we’ll figure it out together, okay?” Siyeon met her eyes and Yoohyeon offered her a reassuring smile. “Besides, I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me intentionally, Siyeon-unnie.”

_Are you sure about that?_

A familiar seed of doubt encroached the back of her mind. Her smile unconsciously faltered for a moment, and from the way Siyeon’s attention fell from her eyes back down to their hands, it was clear that Siyeon did not miss it.

After running her thumbs soothingly over the back of Siyeon’s hands, Yoohyeon pulled a bit away from her and turned back around to Bora and Minji. She felt how Siyeon’s fingers stayed intertwined with hers for a moment longer before Siyeon too put distance back between them.

Bora had been watching them with a narrowed, calculating gaze while Minji had just been watching with a soft smile. Yoohyeon let out another heavy sigh and braced herself for Bora’s reaction.

“I got attacked by one of those illegal vampire hunts you warned me about”

Bora’s chest immediately swelled. Her eyebrows shot up, and a spark of purple flame ignited deep within the depths of her brown irises. Minji carefully placed her hand onto the clenched fist that was resting on Bora’s thigh. Bora breathed out slowly through her nose.

“Go on,” she invited Yoohyeon through her strained breath.

“So, after I left the theater to look for Unnie, I had gone through an alleyway- I know, it was a horrible idea. Don’t get mad at me. I already know. And when I went back through it to come back because I couldn’t find her, these two guys came in and were probably going to feed off me or something. I tried to fight them off, but then Siyeon-unnie came in and saved me.”

This time Minji reacted. Shock replaced the calm attentiveness that she had. She looked past Yoohyeon at Siyeon.

“Both of them?”

“Mhm,” Yoohyeon affirmed as her chest tightened. She felt the phantom coldness of steel against her fingertips and heard the familiar awful, strangled choking of the man echo within her mind. “Both of them.”

Siyeon did not jump to correct her.

“You did that, Siyeon-ah?”

“Yeah… I did.”

“So you jumped in to save her?” Bora took in another breath in an attempt to calm herself down. “Even though you don’t like to use your vampirism.”

“How else was I going to help her?”

Minji tilted her head, seemingly intrigued by the conviction of Siyeon’s words, or rather, by how hastily she justified herself.

“No, I mean, I’m glad you did,” Bora clarified quickly as she relaxed her posture. She let out another sigh, “Now, I just feel bad for attacking you like that.”

“It was kind of rude of you, yeah.”

“Yah!” Bora protested but relented with a shake of her head. “I really am sorry for that, Siyeon-ssi.”

“Siyeon-ah,” Siyeon offered.

“Siyeon-ah,” Bora corrected herself, “You at least know _why_ I did it, anyways.”

“I do,” Siyeon agreed and for the first time since Yoohyeon came in here, she smiled. “Maybe next time lets just sit down and talk about it?”

“There better not _be_ a next time for this”

“Then, well, maybe we could just sit and talk about something else then...?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Deal.”

Yoohyeon found herself smiling at this exchange. An unexplainable sense of relief and pride warmed her soul. She supposed she was just happy that Siyeon was able to make amends with her best friend and that they both seemed open to pursuing a potential friendship. The tension of animosity faded from the room and a surprisingly comfortable silence fell over them.

There was a lingering question that hung unasked between the four of them.

_So, what **did** Siyeon do to Yoohyeon?_

But no one had the chance to bring it up before the manager-unnie peered her head into the room.

“Um…” Her voice quivered as she scanned across room and noticed the broken mirror. She didn’t seem to want to even question it. “Siyeon-ssi… We need to get you to your first schedule.” She bowed apologetically to Minji and Bora. “I hope it’s okay?”

“Of course,” Minji responded as she stood up. Her voice had lost its sweet, comforting airiness and was instead firm and professional. “Don’t worry about the mirror. There was an accident, and I’ve already made sure everything was okay. The company will take care of it. You’ve been doing well Yujin-ah.” The CEO smiled, and the manager-unnie couldn’t hold back her grin at the praise from the company’s CEO.

“Take care of Siyeon-ah again for me today, would you?” Minji requested smoothly. Her words had a quality to it that was so unlike how she was interacting with the rest of them just moments before. It made Yoohyeon feel strangely compelled to obey the blonde woman even though she wasn’t even speaking to her, but she shook off that odd feeling.

“Bora-yah.” Bora hurriedly followed after Minji, reassuming her position as the CEO’s bodyguard. She glanced back at Yoohyeon with concern evident in her expression. She mouthed a quick “be careful” before exiting.

Manager-unnie bowed once more to Minji as she and Bora made their exit. She returned her attention Siyeon with a renewed confidence. “Well? Come on, lets go. We’ll be late.”

“You heard her,” Yoohyeon gestured towards the manager-unnie and they too, left behind the practice room with the broken mirror.

* * *

Following a couple paces behind Siyeon and Manager-unnie, Yoohyeon brought a hand up to ghost across the twin wounds still healing on her neck.

The shadows swirling at the edges of her vision had yet to recede.

But the questions left unspoken, would have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your continued patience! I've had a series of natural and personal delays leading up to the posting of this chapter, but it's here now!  
> I hope you all enjoy this one too :,D  
> This one was a bit more dialogue heavy than the usual chapter, but the information shared, and perhaps... not shared... is important.
> 
> For potential fic updates + spoilers, the occasional art, and other musings about Dreamcatcher, feel free to check by my Twitter @TinyClover3 .  
> You can also leave a question or comment on my CuriousCat @ https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3 if you'd like ^^
> 
> Take care of yourself, everyone! It's okay to just take a moment to yourself to breathe.


	15. Chapter 14: Once in a Blue Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV

She must be imagining it. She has to be. No, no, she wasn’t imagining it at all. Yoohyeon nervously quickened her pace behind Siyeon, and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. There was no mistaking it; the cameras really were focusing more on her than usual. Normally, the flashes would be directed at the soloist. That’s who they were here for, after all, and most of the cameras _were_ on the soloist. It was just…

Yoohyeon caught up to the singer and whispered urgently to her. “Are my injuries showing through too much?”

“Hm?” Siyeon glanced at Yoohyeon quizzically and gave her a once over. “No? I don’t think so.” She returned her attention to her fans, politely nodding and waving every once in a while. “Why?” She asked without looking at the bodyguard. “Ah! Hello!” A group of fans squealed.

Yoohyeon swallowed, definitely embarrassed under the extra attention. “Well, it’s just… I feel like more people are taking pictures of _me_ than usual.”

“Yoohyeon-ah,” Siyeon slowed her pace.

Matching the soloist, Yoohyeon also slowed her pace.

“Yes, Unnie?”

“You are quite beautiful. You _do_ know that, right?”

Siyeon took a small gift bag from a young fan after mouthing a thank you and finishing the exchange with a bright smile.

Yoohyeon, however, paused midstride. Siyeon had said that as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and she left no room for Yoohyeon to protest as she went back to greeting fans. Was she really? It wasn’t like she had the highest opinion of herself. She thought she was quite average. To some, she might seem pretty; she wasn’t about to pretend that she didn’t have _some_ appeal, but there was no way she could compare to someone like Siyeon!

Her cheeks warmed.

…Right?

The bodyguard shook her head and forced herself to catch up to Siyeon once again.

“Please stay behind the rails,” Yoohyeon warned an overtly excited fan as she resumed her position by Siyeon’s side. “But Unnie, wouldn’t it cause problems for you if I get more attention when I’m all beat up? I’m supposed to be your bodyguard.”

“That’s right, you’re my bodyguard.” Yoohyeon quickly opened the door to the radio station for Siyeon as the singer spoke, “And if anyone is going to show up a little injured, it wouldn’t be too strange for my bodyguard to be the injured one, right?”

She had a point.

Siyeon smiled and brought a hand up to Yoohyeon’s bruised cheek. “If anyone asks, just tell them that they should see the other guy.” With that, the dark haired soloist entered through the doorway, leaving a flustered Yoohyeon behind. Yoohyeon fumbled for something to say but found herself settling for a resigned sigh. She glanced back at the mass of people outside the station and was met with a rapid increase of shutters snapping and flashes blinding her. The brunette hurried on inside.

* * *

**SolarsidoSolar** 8:20am [ _Link Sent_ ]

 **SolarsidoSolar** 8:20am [When did you get so famous?]

Yoohyeon immediately blushed and facepalmed. She didn’t even need to read the article to know what the contents of it were. _“Lee Siyeon’s Pretty New Bodyguard (and Best Friend?) is a Hit with the Fans”_. She didn’t plan on having her debut as a bodyguard become a nationwide spectacle.

[I already can’t take it. Unnie, save me] 8:23am **GamerYoo**

 **SolarsidoSolar** 8:23am [Arent you working? Get off your phone lol]

[I’m not needed right now. Don’t YOU call me out! You’re doing the same thing lol] 8:23am **GamerYoo**

 **SolarsidoSolar** 8:23am [Moonbyul-ah is in the restroom rn lol]

Yoohyeon rolled her eyes with a feigned groan of annoyance. Solar has been a friend of hers from Minx Protection Services, and if anyone was going to be up to date on Yoohyeon’s internet presence, it would be her. Yoohyeon decided to just leave the conversation at that and put her phone away again.

_Of course she’d text me when Moonbyul-ssi is using the restroom. Those two live to bother each other. Why didn’t Moonbyul-ssi just get a new bodyguard, I will never understand._

“Yoohyeon-ssi, a moment please?” Yoohyeon looked up to see Manager-unnie gesturing for her to come hither.

Yoohyeon rose from her seat, curious. “What is it, Unnie?”

Manager-unnie fidgeted nervously with the schedule paper in her hands. “Um… I know Minji-ssi said not to worry about it… but, um, what happened in the practice room earlier this morning?”

 _Oh… that’s what’s she’s worried about._ Yoohyeon gave Manager-unnie an awkward smile, “It was just an accident and a misunderstanding. Things got a little out of hand, but everyone is okay.”

“Did Siyeon-ssi do it?”

“Pardon?”

“Break the mirror.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. Even if she did, I don’t think it would’ve been on purpose. Did you think Siyeon-unnie broke it?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry. There’re just rumors, you know. That Siyeon-ssi is a vampire and that she can get a bit out of control sometimes. I mean, if she is a vampire of course she’d get out of control when there’s us humans around, right?”

A sudden rush of anger built up within Yoohyeon. She didn’t know why, but that statement sounded like such an unfair claim against Siyeon’s character. Were the rest of the staff spreading these rumors about Siyeon? Is that why Siyeon was always left alone? Out of control? What did they mean by that?

Darkness clouded her vision as she felt herself getting angrier and angrier. The more she thought about the implications and intent of these targeted rumors, the more Yoohyeon got angry. Siyeon hated her vampirism, and the mere thought of her harming someone caused Siyeon so much pain. Yet here these people are, making these claims that she’d just be a rampaging beast just because she _possibly_ had vampirism. How _dare_ they?! They’re all soulless husks who should just be remov-

“Y-yoohyeon-ssi?!”

The shadows obstructing her vision receded and Yoohyeon found herself grasping Manager-unnie by the collar of her shirt. Manager-unnie was staring at her with wide eyes and her mouth was hung agape. Her back was pressed against the wall and her trembling hands were wrapped around Yoohyeon’s thin wrists. The look in her eyes screamed fear.

Yoohyeon noticed that she was breathing heavily, and that the anger that had surged through her felt like actual fire singeing her skin.

_What did I…?_

The bodyguard let go of the manager-unnie and backed up.

“You… you shouldn’t be talking like that behind someone’s back,” she forced out. She took to straightening out her suit to distract herself from what had just transpired. “It’s the same as spitting in their faces.” Yoohyeon looked back up at the manager-unnie, “so don’t do it.”

Manager-unnie gulped visibly and Yoohyeon felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t even realize she had been pinning the woman angrily against the wall. All she saw was darkness and her body moved almost all on its own. She wasn’t usually like this.

 _Something’s wrong_ … _I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t even mean to think all of that._

“Got it?” Yoohyeon stood her ground for the woman to acknowledge her.

“Yes, okay. Okay, I got it Yoohyeon-ssi…” The smaller woman bowed her head, avoiding Yoohyeon’s gaze. Yoohyeon let out a sigh and took another step back to allow Manager-unnie past her. At the soonest sign of an escape, the older woman took the chance to hurry away.

Yoohyeon let her shoulders fall after realizing the tension still within her. Soon after, Yoohyeon collapsed back into the chair that she had been waiting in. She stared vacantly at the wall in front of her with her hands limp at her sides.

_What just happened..?_

It didn’t escape her attention that the shadows swirling at the edges of her vision were more intense now. It was like it was reacting to her emotions. They swirled violently, threatening to take over her sight once more. She took in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. She felt how the burning sensation that coursed through her veins started to cool and disappear.

Rationally, she knew that this was nowhere near normal and that she should tell someone about it. Rationally, she knew that something was going on with her. Could it have something to do with Siyeon marking-not-marking her? Or did it have something to do with _him_ biting her?

The brunette brought a hand to her neck, running her fingers over the still healing bite wound before checking her pulse. Unsurprisingly, her pulse was fast, so she took a few moments just taking deep breaths to slow it. As she suspected, the shadows too, slowed and eventually dissipated out of her vision.

She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that the shadows reacted how she expected them to, or if she should be scared of what that meant for her. Because if they reminded her of anything, they reminded her of how Bora’s eyes would turn a flaming purple whenever she was upset or angry. She wasn’t oblivious enough not to make that kind of connection.

_Am I becoming a vampire?_

Yoohyeon didn’t know how to feel about that question nor what to make of it. She had always imagined the process of becoming a vampire to be a sudden thing - that you’d be turned one and then that’d be that. She imagined that you’d just automatically know that you became a vampire. She never asked Bora what the process of turning into a vampire was like but now she wish she had.

_If I were to ask her now of all times, she’d just get suspicious that something is up… She might get mad at Siyeon-unnie again too…_

Yoohyeon groaned and put her head into her hands. “What did I get myself into?”

“What _did_ you get yourself into?” A familiar voice chimed in and Yoohyeon instinctively stood up in surprise.

“Siyeon-unnie! You’re done!”

“Yep, today was a short one. That means we have now until one for my next schedule. It’s an event performance, so maybe I can reach out to a new audience with my songs. If only I can give them just a little more strength, then it’ll all be worth it!” Siyeon smiled thoughtfully to herself. She seemed to lose herself in the thought of her songs touching the lives of people who haven’t yet heard the words she had to share with the world. For a moment, Yoohyeon lost herself too in watching Siyeon brim with such an unbridle joy and passion about her work. It was obvious to her that the singer absolutely loved to sing and perform and to see her get excited at the mere prospect of getting to perform to a wider audience warmed Yoohyeon’s heart.

It was the little moments like this that had Yoohyeon forget all of the cruel realities of the world she found herself in. But how could she truly forget? It all comes rushing back the moment those little moments pass. Her endearing smile faded as she remembered about all of the troubling thoughts and events she had just been battling with before Siyeon arrived at the scene.

Siyeon noticed the change in expression and came closer to the taller girl. “Is there something wrong, Yoohyeon-ah?”

Yoohyeon looked up at the soloist, and her eyes searched her face. She was buying her time. She wasn’t sure that this would be a good time talk to Siyeon about what just happened and what was going on. She wasn’t even sure if she should go to Siyeon about this, not yet at least. There are so many things that were uncertain. For all she knew, Siyeon might not even be able to offer any explanations. It may just end up worrying the soloist more than productively solve any issue. But who else did she have to go to about this? Bora? Handong? Minji? Maybe they knew more about what could possibly be going on with her than Siyeon did. Even if that were the case, should she really bother them with this?

The bodyguard worried at her bottom lip.

“Siyeon-unnie… I-…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the delay everyone! This one is a bit shorter than usual too, but I hope it gives you a little more to think about going forward.  
> I have been dealing with some persisting health issues lately, so I can't promise that I'll be updating any more or less frequently. I do hope that you enjoy the new chapter nonetheless! Remember to try to stay healthy and hydrated. It's okay to take a moment for yourself to breathe :)
> 
> As always, feel free to drop by my Twitter at @TinyClover3 for potential fic updates/teasers, the occasional art, and other musings about Dreamcatcher! For this chapter, I'm also putting up a poll on Twitter to see where things may go in the upcoming chapters. We'll see how things turn out together :D
> 
> I also have a CuriousCat @ https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3 for any questions or comments you might have.


	16. Chapter 15: It's a Sunny Day in Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV | Dialogue Heavy

“Siyeon-unnie… I-…”

Yoohyeon hesitated.

 _Now’s not the time_.

“It’s just something silly.”

Siyeon’s eyebrows creased in worry, and Yoohyeon raised her hand to dismiss the concern.

“I was wondering if you’d prefer colored post-it notes or the regular yellow ones,” stated the bodyguard tersely. She internally cringed at her blatant lie, but she tried her best to play it off. Siyeon’s concerned gaze lingered on her a moment longer before transforming into a soft smile. Yoohyeon was uncertain if Siyeon believed her. Regardless if she did or not, however, she didn’t push it.

“You don’t have to get me more post-its, Yoohyeon-ah.”

“I made a promise though, so I want to,” Yoohyeon protested, and Siyeon rolled her eyes.

“Alright, fine, fine. I like the colored ones if you’re going to get them.” Yoohyeon gave the soloist a thumbs up in acknowledgment. “It really is no big deal,” the singer insisted, but Yoohyeon gave her a stern stare in return. This prompted another rolling of eyes. “Anyways, why don’t we go somewhere to eat? We have about four and a half hours before the event.”

She wanted to. Yoohyeon saw how Siyeon fidgeted nervously after making the proposal. She really wanted to.

But she knew she couldn’t just leave whatever was going on with her unchecked.

“Um…” Yoohyeon started, and immediately Siyeon’s expression formed into a pout.

“How about we make that a dinner?” She quickly offered, “I have some things I need to check up on before the event, and besides, at least then we could just take our time and enjoy the meal.”

Siyeon’s expression brightened, and the brunette felt relief wash over her. That was a good sign.

Siyeon grinned, “It’s a date then!”

Yoohyeon’s brain short-circuited. “Date?”

The dark-haired singer turned around. “You’re inviting me out to dinner, aren’t you? Then you better take good care of me, Bodyguard-ssi.”

“Wait- But you- I-?”

But Siyeon already started walking off, not without giving Yoohyeon a wink over her shoulder though. Yoohyeon didn’t know why, but something told her that Siyeon just got payback.

She brought a hand up to her face and felt the warmth from her cheeks.

_Lee Siyeon!_

* * *

* * *

_Okay, just what kind of labyrinth_ is _this place?_ Yoohyeon thought as she went past the same room what was probably the twentieth time. She was back in the company building and was on a mission. She had spent the entire trip back trying to think of who she should talk to. She thought about reaching out to Bora, but she wasn’t confident that doing so wouldn’t backfire. She considered Handong, but she didn’t know how to get in contact with her. That only left the CEO of the company, Minji. Yoohyeon knew close to nothing about the woman. All she knew about the CEO was what little Bora had revealed about her, and her own observations from the past two days. It wasn’t a lot, but what other choice did she have? Minji seemed knowledgeable and friendly enough, but it was possible that she didn’t have any answers either. It was also possible that Bora was going to be here with her. The fiery woman was her assigned bodyguard after all, but it was a risk Yoohyeon was prepared to take.

Now, if only she could find that darned office…

The receptionist-unnie was very detailed in her instructions on how to get there, but by the time Yoohyeon got to the fifth floor she had already forgotten half of those instructions. She knew she should have written them down because now she was just getting frustrated. Whoever designed this place evidently didn’t intend for it to be easily navigable.

She’d really prefer not to spend the entire break between schedules just trying to find Minji’s office. What was the number again? 514? 519? Wait.

Yoohyeon stopped in her tracks and turned to the door that had been continuously reappearing. She checked the room number once more.

 **517**.

Oh.

See, now Yoohyeon just felt like a massive idiot and wanted to send her head through this very door. The office was literally right here in front of her this whole time, and she successfully wasted a solid 10 or so minutes going through the same few hallways looking for it. She couldn’t believe it. Or rather, she couldn’t believe her own obliviousness. Never mind that. She found it now.

Flustered, the bodyguard glanced around to make sure no one had seen her embarrassing display of forgetfulness. After concluding that no one was there watching her, Yoohyeon promptly knocked on the door.

A moment passed, and Yoohyeon was about to knock again for good measure before a voice sounded from beyond the door.

“Come in.”

Yoohyeon obeyed and entered through the threshold.

“Pardon me,” she announced upon entering and bowed. “It’s Kim Yoohyeon, Lee Siyeon’s security personnel?” Her voice turned up into a question as soon as she looked up and noticed Bora in the room as well. Her best friend somehow looked caught, and Yoohyeon watched her awkwardly adjust the collar of her suit.

_Why does she look so embarrassed? It’s almost like she wasn’t supposed to be here. Isn’t she Minji-ssi’s bodyguard? Hold on… were they-?_

“Yoohyeon-ah! Hi! Wh-what are you doing here?” Bora asked, a bit higher pitched than Yoohyeon was used to.

“Err…” Yoohyeon suddenly felt like she was intruding. “I needed to talk to Minji-ssi about something…”

“Oh, I see. Right, of course.” Bora moved out of the way and gestured towards Minji who was amusedly watching the scene of a flustered Bora and confused Yoohyeon from her desk. “I’ll be outlie- outside then,” the shorter girl fumbled over her words and then hurried on past Yoohyeon to exit the room.

“O-okay??” Yoohyeon responded and with that, Bora shut the door behind her, leaving Yoohyeon in the room alone with Minji. The brunette looked back at the blonde CEO, completely confused about what just transpired.

“Do I even want to ask?”

Minji only smiled. “What brings you here today, Yoohyeon-ah?”

_Yep, not going to ask._

“I needed to ask you a few questions.” Yoohyeon brought a hand to rub the back of her neck nervously. “I was hoping that you might be able to explain some things?”

Minji sat up and leaned a little forward, attentive to what Yoohyeon had to say. “I can imagine you have many questions. How about you sit down first?”

“Is that a request or a command?”

Quirking a brow, Minji’s smile widened. “I’m sure you’d know if it were a command, Yoohyeon-ah.” Her tone was more telling than the words themselves. It reminded Yoohyeon of being gently reminded that she wasn’t supposed to take a cookie from the cookie jar without permission.

“Um, right,” vocalized Yoohyeon. Despite Minji’s bright and welcoming demeanor, Yoohyeon couldn’t help but feel intimidated under her knowing gaze. She took a seat at one of the chairs in front of Minji’s desk. Oh no… now she just felt even more nervous.

“Uh, so, um…” She gulped. It was hard to put her thoughts together now that she was here. All of the questions she had seemed to have run off into the darkest recesses of her mind and now she couldn’t find them anymore. Minji tilted her head.

_Dang it, Yoohyeon! You came here to ask her questions, so ask her! What’s the big hold up?!_

Yoohyeon’s heart rate picked up.

Crap.

She didn’t need to have an anxiety attack right now.

“Take a deep breath, Yoohyeon-ah. You’re okay. Take your time.”

Yoohyeon found herself taking in a deep breath and the anxiety started to ebb away. Yoohyeon locked eyes with Minji and felt her mind clear.

“Now, try again, okay?”

“Did… did you do that?”

“Hm?”

“Did you do a mind trick to get me to calm down?”

Minji chuckled, “Mind trick? I guess you could call it that. But, no, not quite. You calmed yourself down. I only offered suggestions to help you get there.”

“So, you have vampirism too then, don’t you?”

“That is correct.”

“Do all of the higher ups have vampirism?”

“They do not.”

“Do they know who all does?”

“Not all of them.”

“You’re being awfully forthcoming.”

Minji’s neutral gaze softened. “Would it have changed anything if I wasn’t?”

“No, I suppose not.”

The CEO’s voice became questioning, “but I don’t think you came here just to ask those sorts of questions.”

Yoohyeon dropped her gaze and stared at the polished wooden desk nervously. “I didn’t… but I’d rather conceptualize some things for myself first. I didn’t think you’d be so open to answering me.”

A light laugh escaped the blonde woman. “Were you testing me, Yoohyeon-ah?”

“No! No, absolutely not. It was just unexpected. I’m sorry, Minji-ssi. I don’t mean to bother you with all of this.”

“It’s alright, Yoohyeon-ah. I can’t blame you for having a lot of questions. I’m sorry that you’ve gotten caught up in all of this. Siyeon-ah is a dear friend of mine, and it seems that she is quite fond of you.”

“How long have you known her?”

_Yoohyeon, you’re avoiding asking what you came here to ask about!_

“Ever since she had gotten her vampirism.”

“You didn’t know her before then?”

“No, we found her alone and starving behind a bookstore.”

“We?” Yoohyeon’s interest was piqued.

“Yubin-ah, Handong-ah, and I. We were living together at the time and took Siyeon-ah in under our care.”

 _Yubin? That was the person Siyeon-unnie called in the alleyway_.

“But then what happened? She’s living alone now in a dorm.”

Minji’s face turned crestfallen as she recalled the events of their shared history. Yoohyeon almost felt guilty for asking. She should be asking these kinds of things to Siyeon, not Minji.

“Wait, I’m sorry, please don’t answer that,” Yoohyeon interjected before Minji could formulate her answer. “None of this is what I meant to ask you anyways.” Minji hummed in acknowledgement.

“Something is happening to me, and I don’t know what it is.”

Minji’s expression hardened and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “Can you explain it?”

“I’m seeing shadows. They creep in at the peripheral of my vision and swirl in reaction to my emotions. I-… Earlier, Manager-unnie, err, Yujin-unnie… she had come up to me and said something about Siyeon-unnie and next thing I knew, I was pinning her angrily against the wall. The shadows had completely obscured my vision, and I no longer felt in control of my actions. I don’t know what happened nor how it happened, so I was hoping you might have some insight into that. Do you have any ideas? It reminds me of when Bora-unnie’s eyes would flare purple whenever she’s upset or something.”

“Hm… That is concerning…”

“Do you know what it is?”

Minji leaned back in her chair. She looked up at the ceiling deep in thought. Her expression was tense, and it didn’t look like she was liking what she was thinking about.

“No, but I have a few ideas.” She returned her gaze back upon Yoohyeon. It was no longer warm and welcoming. It was foreboding and melancholic. Yoohyeon was afraid to press for her to elaborate, but in order for her to understand what was going on with her, she had no choice but to ask.

“And… what are those ideas?”

Minji clasped her hands together and set them onto the desk.

“I don’t want you taking my word as the answer here, alright? These are just my ideas, and they may not be anywhere near the truth. The truth of the matter is, I’m not one hundred percent sure about what is going on with you. When it comes to describing vampirism, it changes depending on the person. It is part of why science has not caught up to studying vampirism. It changes so drastically and affects each person in different ways that studying one person with vampirism will not yield any satisfactory study results. You understand?”

“I do.”

“But,” Minji paused, “people who get vampirism from another person tend to share many traits with the person who gave them their vampirism.”

“Do you think I-?”

“Let me finish.”

Yoohyeon quietened.

“Thinking about this, I would gather that it is not impossible for vampiric traits to be given to people without fully giving them vampirism. I’ve heard of certain illegal drugs that do that very thing, but they’re usually temporary. If that’s the case, then what you may be experiencing is likely to be temporary too. Siyeon may have accidentally given you some of her vampiric traits when she fed from you.”

Yoohyeon’s eyes widen as this information began to sink in.

“However,” Minji trailed off a moment. She pressed her lips together. “If these effects don’t wear off of you, and this is the risk of those drugs I mentioned, then…”

“Then…?”

“Then you may be turning into a vampire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had gotten a burst of energy and decided to do something productive with it while I had it. As such, Chapter 15 is here faster than expected! All of your comments and continued patience and support has really warmed my heart and encouraged me. I appreciate it very much, everyone. I hope you are all able to be well and that you continue to enjoy the story of Folkvangr.
> 
> As per usual, feel free to drop by my Twitter at @TinyClover3 for potential fic updates/teasers, the occasional art, and other musings about Dreamcatcher!
> 
> I also have a CuriousCat @ https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3 for any questions or comments you might have.


	17. Chapter 16: There's No Moon Left to Howl to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoohyeon's POV

Yoohyeon leaned her back against the company building and a sigh escaped her lips. She slowly lifted her head up to stare blankly up at the sky. How insignificant was she? She inquired the vibrant, clear blue sky, but there was no answer to be received. Not that she expected one.

The world moves on regardless of what happens to her, yet to Yoohyeon, it felt like her entire world had changed. She knew some things would change once she finally received her first job offer, but not to this degree. She didn’t expect to find herself the bodyguard of a vampire- no, a person with vampirism. She didn’t expect to get caught up in the middle of some sort of vampiric drama that she still had no better understanding of now compared to when she started. She didn’t expect to have gotten attacked by an illegal feeding run, nor to have escaped it with her life barely in-tact. How could she have expected any of this? How could so many things like this happen in such a short amount of time?

Should she cry? Should she complain? Should she just shut herself away and hope that whatever was going on with her would fade away? What if it didn’t? Minji had reminded her before she left that she was not completely certain if her hypothesis was anywhere near the truth. So should she just continue along like nothing was happening?

Taking in a deep breath, Yoohyeon felt how her lungs expanded with cool air. She felt how the cut at her ribs throbbed. She felt how her heartbeat thrummed rhythmically through her as she held her breath. She felt how her hands tightened into fists and how her shoulders were stiff with tension. She let out the breath, slowly, and forced herself to relax.

There was nothing that she could do, not at this point anyways. Whatever happened to her? Well, who knows, but it happened, and there was nothing that she could do to change that. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about what it’d be like to have vampirism before. It didn’t seem like too bad of a thing, but she also understood that not everyone saw it the same way. Most people view vampirism as a taboo or something bad to have. It wasn’t just something that enhanced your abilities at the price that you have to drink blood every now and then. It was something that completely altered your entire life and lifestyle, and you won’t know just _how_ _much_ it will change until it changes.

Before this… mess, to put it lightly, that she found herself in, she had these grand fantasies about how cool it’d be to have vampirism. She imagined herself with super strength and super speed. She imagined herself without injury and sickness. She imagined it to be a risk-free alteration, but now she understood that she grossly underestimated the reality of what vampirism actually meant.

Regardless if she was being turned or not, it was safe to say that her perspective has already changed. Nothing in this world was free of risk. Even the grandest of concepts always has its flaws.

Yoohyeon closed her eyes. If that is the case, then she should just try to make the most of what she can. But what even was that? The brunette opened her eyes to the concrete ground. She supposed that she’ll just have to wait and see. For now, she had someone waiting on her, someone she swore to protect.

Siyeon.

She may have started out just being the woman’s bodyguard by contract, but now, she was personally invested in the woman’s well-being. Yoohyeon pushed herself off the wall and made her way down the few steps in front of the entryway. Besides, she had a promise to keep; there was nothing else for her to do anyways. Nothing else she _could_ do.

Checking the time on her phone, Yoohyeon let out a displeased sound. She still had a couple of hours before the next schedule, and she was hungry.

_I should have taken Siyeon-unnie’s offer to go out for lunch… Wait._

_Oh yeah._

A smile formed on Yoohyeon’s face before she realized it. She had dinner plans to make.

* * *

“Good work today, everyone! Now, who’s ready for a company dinner?” A round of cheers sounded off from the staff members as they continued packing up their various items and equipment in the designated stage room. Yoohyeon didn’t miss the wary side glance the manager-unnie gave her.

The bodyguard tried her best to keep a neutral look on her face.

_Don’t worry, I’m not going,_ she thought and tried to convey that silent message to the worried manager.

_Anyways…_ Yoohyeon shifted her gaze from the manager-unnie to scan the room for Siyeon. There was no sign of her.

_Strange. Maybe she went to use the restroom?_

Yoohyeon decided to wait a little while longer, but there was still no sign of the soloist. Anxiety settled within the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t help but to assume that something bad was happening. Her leg bounced with her nervous energy as she continued to wait. More of the staff members started to go ahead and take their leave. None of them seemed to feel any need to wait on the soloist with her. In fact, it didn’t seem like any of them even noticed she was currently missing from their numbers.

This unsettled her. Was this something that Siyeon experienced all the time? This blatant lack of true concern and care for her being by the people who work with her nearly every day? Yoohyeon felt her jaw tighten. The shadows started to encroach in on her vision. She needed to distract herself from the increasing anger building within her. She knew she wasn’t usually this easily riled up.

Pulling out her phone, Yoohyeon searched her contacts for the singer. She has learned from her mistakes. She will not go on a wild goose chase to find the beautiful, dark haired soloist without first exhausting her other sources of locating her. She hit enter on a text message inquiring where Siyeon was and promptly awaited a response. It wasn’t like Siyeon to not be relatively punctual, especially after a schedule. Well, it _was_ the last schedule of the day, so maybe..? No, she wouldn’t forget about Yoohyeon and their plans. Right?

There might be something wrong. What if she got caught up in a bad situation, and Yoohyeon was sitting, unaware in the now empty stage room? The shadows swirled at an increased pace, like they were mimicking her nervously increasing heartrate.

But then, she started feeling something odd. It was like something was starting to wreath around her. Her breath hitched as she looked down at her hands. The shadows, they were curling around her arms.

_What the?!_ She made to stand up, but it was like the shadows were forcing her to remain seated. Panic started to course through her. _What’s going on?!_ Yoohyeon frantically watched as the shadows made their way up towards her head. Her breath was fast, her heart was racing, and her vision was fading. Should she call out? Should she try to do something? What should she do?!

“Siy-!” Her voice caught in her throat as a pressure separate from the back of the chair pressed against her back. She wanted to turn her head, but she felt frozen in place. It was like all of her muscles locked up, and there was no way to run. Yoohyeon’s eyes were wide as she stared helplessly ahead of her towards the door. The door was like a mocking entity, coaxing her to escape through it while knowing full well that it was well beyond her control. She couldn’t move. Was she just going to be consumed by these strange smoke-like shadows? No, it can’t be.

The blood in her veins started to feel like they were burning her from the inside. Yet, while she could feel how it sent pain all throughout her body, it was somehow not unbearable. Despite the strangeness, it still signaled all kinds of alarms within her. She made another move to stand, but to no avail. It was like her body didn’t even belong to her anymore. She could barely feel anything aside from the burning and the pressure against her back. It almost felt like…

Yoohyeon managed to take in a halting breath.

It was almost like she was being burned at the stake.

But why? Why was it like this?

And why did it feel so familiar?

Wait, familiar?

The pressure against her back suddenly felt cold. It pressed harder against her and suddenly she started being enveloped into a very cold embrace. A breathy and echoey chuckle sounded close to her right ear. Whispers started being vocalized, but she couldn’t make it out. The voice, no, the voices seemed too far away, yet the chuckle had been right next to her. These weren’t the same voices as the person, entity, whatever they were that was… hugging her?

Her panic fought with the insatiable curiosity that foolishly hoped for this episode to continue, to continue long enough for her to figure out what exactly was going on. She felt coldness graze against her cheek, and the entity spoke.

_“Ah, we were so close.”_ Yoohyeon’s breath caught. _“But there’s always next time, isn’t there?”_

That voice.

No way.

That voice, was _hers_.

It sounded ghostly and hoarse, but it was definitely hers.

How could it be hers? What’s going on? What did those words mean? What were they implying? Next time? Next time for what? So close? So close to what? Why was this happening to her?

Her ears started ringing, disorienting her senses.

Until, _bzz… bzz…_

All of the strange sensations disappeared just as suddenly as they appeared. She could move again. She could breathe. She had control.

She took in a deep breath and brought a hand up to her chest. She felt herself panting. She was in a state of shock. Her mind raced to make sense of everything that had just transpired. Everything just didn’t make sense. Everything stopped making sense the moment she helped Siyeon get to her dorm that night. No, everything stopped making sense ever since she first learned that vampirism was actually real.

Her hyperventilating slowed to normal breathing. She forgot about the world around her as her mental state receded into her own thoughts.

But there was no way that she could truly forget about the world around her, especially not when the door finally opened to reveal a panting Siyeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16 is here and without a two month wait before it, lol! This one is a bit short, but it's no less important. Sorry for only adding more questions than answers yet again this time, but it'll all be answered in due time~ Oh, and sorry for another cliffhanger; it's starting to become a bad habit haha ^^;
> 
> As per usual, feel free to drop by my Twitter at @TinyClover3 for potential fic updates/teasers, the occasional art, and other musings about Dreamcatcher!
> 
> I also have a CuriousCat @ https://curiouscat.qa/TinyClover3 for any questions or comments you might have.


End file.
